


The Serpent

by StarGazerGamer



Series: Forbidden Fruit [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Custom Ryder - Freeform, F/M, Light BDSM, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2018-11-14 01:22:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 135,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11197500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGazerGamer/pseuds/StarGazerGamer
Summary: Cerise Ryder had been on the Nexus when the uprising began and found herself on Kadara.  She made her way as a mercenary for hire, and soon built up a sizable organized force.  Her company silently partners with the Resistance and a strong attraction to its surly leader.  The attraction between them grows each time they find themselves arguing over something, but will anything come of it?  What happens when the Hyperion does show up and Cerise finds out the fate of her brother?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Art done by the lovely Anafigreen on Tumblr. This is my cover art for the Forbidden Fruit series.  
> [](http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/SeigePhoenix/media/commission%2022_zpsd7shuosz.jpg.html)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise is given a proposition by Reyes Vidal to work with the angaran Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sharing the YouTube videos of the songs from the titles. 
> 
> https://youtu.be/Ugwl46p7vvk

Cerise Ryder was annoyed. She scratched the back of her neck in aggravation as her thoughts turned reflective and dark. She was sitting in a crappy bar on Kadara, slugging back liquid that could barely be called alcohol, but do not tell Umi she said that, and it was all because she’d dared speak up about Tann being a dick to the krogan. The bang as her cup hit the counter drew some unwanted attention from some bar patrons, but she didn’t give a shit. _Let them pick a fight. I could use the exercise._ Her piercing grey eyes looked at the turian and salarian that were sizing her up, but the predatory gleam in her eyes had them backing down. _Fucking cowards._ Cerise signaled to Umi to give her another round of the vodka she had been drinking. The ark hadn’t showed up, and so what was left of her family was adrift in Andromeda. Colin and her dad, she had no idea what had happened to them, and she supposed she never will. News from the Nexus didn’t make its way to Kadara all that often, only the smugglers had any info but it was always at a cost.

Cerise found out early on that she was pretty good at beating someone’s ass. Even when she’d been young, she’d had to defend herself and Colin against bullies on the Citadel. She’d been selected for Nexus Security after her dad told her she wouldn’t be part of the Pathfinder team, and that still stung. Sloane had offered her a position in the Outcasts when they’d arrived on Kadara, but her business methods didn’t sit well with Ryder. Cerise disliked extorting people for protection, and preferred the mercenary work she wrangled on her own. Smugglers usually hired her to protect their precious goods, and one in particular hired her for most runs. She knew he stayed down at Tartarus, which was a good thing. Her gut told her he was dangerous. Cerise never ignored her gut, that had kept her out of hassles more often than not.

“Ryder, time to pay your tab.” Umi called out from across the bar. Cerise transferred the credits with a few taps on her omni-tool. The scrape of the metal stool against floor was heard over the din of bar conversation, and she turned to leave. The solid male behind her stopped her from leaving and she looked up into the face of an angry turian. _Just fucking great._

“Hello human.” His voice had the metallic flange to it like all turians. Cerise’s steely eyes met his without any fear or nerves. The turian felt the prickle of anxiety at the back of his neck, but he ignored it. This one was short even for a human, he could take her if he truly wanted to. That little voice in the back of his head told him to be cautious, but his pride wouldn’t let him back down now.

“Not in my bar.” Umi called out over her shoulder. She knew it was useless, she recognized the blood thirsty look in the turian’s eye. The asari almost felt sorry for him, almost, anyone who picked a fight with Ryder rarely left her bar without help. Cerise had gained a reputation on Kadara, in the short time she’d been there, as a hard-nosed fighter who didn’t take any shit from anyone. She’d once gotten into a head butting contest with a krogan over a bar tab, and had come away with only a bloody nose. No one needed to know the krogan had been so drunk he wouldn’t have been able to hit a wall if someone pointed him at it, no the lie only served to enhance her reputation.

The turian cracked his knuckles as he indicated the empty corner of the room. Cerise gave him a flamboyant bow and the gesture of ‘after you’. He swung his fist at her face but she pivoted on her heel to slam her elbow into his exposed side. She knew turians lacked the carapace on their sides, so it was a sensitive spot. The rush of air told Cerise she’d hit pay dirt. A wicked smile played on her lips as she danced away from the very pissed off alien. He growled low in his throat as he grabbed the side of his abdomen. The little bitch had some strength behind her.

“You still wanna tango with me? Bring it on.” Cerise raised her hands and crooked her finger at him. He charged at her and she used his momentum to lower her shoulder to his abdomen. Given the turian had at least a foot and a half on her, it was easy to slip beneath his guard. She lifted with her shoulder, sending him flying over and onto the table behind her. He whipped over onto his hands and knees and froze with the pistol pointed at his face. “We’re done here, aren’t we?” The pistol had the N7 logo on it, he didn’t know how the human managed to wrangle such an elite weapon, but he knew that weapon was a reason to back down. His pride be damned. He nodded slowly and raised to his knees with his hands in the air. “Good.” The petite warrior sauntered out of the bar as she holstered the pistol on her thigh.

Umi looked over at the turian who was sitting there looking blindsided. She laughed at him as he came over to demand to know who that woman was. Umi laughed in his face and told him the name of the woman he just picked a fight with, _Cerise Ryder._ The turian cursed as Umi told him to thank his lucky spirits that he’d walked away alive, not many people did when they picked a fight with her. She also charged him for the damage to the table, after all, he started the fight. He groaned and nursed a dextro whiskey to soothe his wounded pride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cerise sat at the desk and poured over the requests stacked haphazardly around her. Most of Kadara assumed she worked alone, and she preferred it that way. The opposite was true and Cerise was part of a sizable organization, the only mercenary one in Andromeda that she knew of. Sloane and the Collective left them alone for the most part, only taking a few pot shots every now and then to test the waters. Cerise never involved the group in that mess of political bullshit, they stayed true to what they knew. Which was fighting and kicking the shit out of worthless pieces of crap. Cerise declined all requests from the Collective and Sloane to help, that was one hot mess she wasn’t going to touch with a ten-foot pole. If she was being honest, she wouldn’t touch it with a ten-mile-long pole. Her little band of merry men was named The Serpents, and she ruled them through the codename Eve. Cerise thought it appropriate and tongue in cheek to be known as the woman who felled all of mankind for just a taste of the forbidden fruit. Most of the humans in her group of about thirty mercenaries thought the same, and would explain it to the others whenever it came up in conversation.

The company had a solid reputation as one that delivered on its promises, and never betrayed their clients to the highest bidder. Eve was known for being loyal to her people so long as that loyalty was returned. Cerise would never betray her people, unless they betrayed her. She already dealt with a rat in her organization, that asswipe found out just what happened when you tried to fuck over Cerise Ryder. His carcass had been left for the adhi to fight over when she got through with him. Her second in command, a salarian named Anxo, came into the office and interrupted her thoughts.

“Another request from Vidal then?” Cerise asked without looking up. Anxo grinned at her frustrated face at dealing with paperwork. Her head banged on the desk as the numbers and letters began to run together. She looked up at Anxo with a piece of paper stuck to her forehead and waved it off hurriedly. If he had less self-preservation he’d have laughed at her for the comical image she projected.

“Right. He’s got a job but he wants Eve for it.” Anxo set the file down in front of Cerise.

“What? He knows Eve doesn’t go on any jobs personally.” Cerise muttered feeling put out that Reyes would go against the rules like this.

“Well, this is a different kind of request.” Anxo explained as he gestured with his hands in front of his face to punctuate his words. Anxo could never just sit still, he always had to have some part of him moving. Even when he spoke, his hands or his eyes would be flitting around like mosquitoes. Normally it was his mouth that moved the most, which was why Cerise hired him as her second in command, he had an unrivaled ability to talk. Anxo once told her he’d been hired for diplomacy but he couldn’t stomach the Nexus after what went down in the uprising. After what the leadership did, no one could be blamed for not staying in that hell pit. Cerise and Anxo both preferred Kadara to the Nexus after everything was said and done.

“I see. Well, this certainly changes things. Want to call Shani in here for me?” Cerise murmured as she studied the request in the file. Anxo looked at her oddly but nodded and called Shani on his omni-tool, the female angara hurried into the office.

“You wanted to see me ma’am?” The quiet knock and even softer voice barely reached the leaders’ ears. Shani was still new to the organization and had been trying to find her place among the mercenaries. Though, they all welcomed her without question as long as she pulled her weight. She had been told that Cerise and Anxo were the front runners for Eve who never showed her face. If orders came from them, every member of the Serpents were to obey. They’d all seen what happened to Dickson, and that generally deterred betrayals.

“Yes. Do you know about this angaran military force? The Resistance?” Cerise inquired as Shani nodded hesitantly, she knew about the Resistance.

“Yes ma’am. The Resistance is the only organized military force the angara have since the kett destroyed our actual military forces. They take on the kett and try to gain a foothold for the angara in our galaxy again. I think it would be about five cycles ago in your human time cycle, the different guerrilla forces banded together.” Shani babbled nervously under Cerise’s cool and unwavering gaze. This tactic usually worked to Cerise’s advantage, most people would fill in quiet spots when presented with silence and steady eye contact. “Our current leader is Evfra de Tershaav, he’s the one who really took control and organized our race to fight the kett.” Shani clasped her hands in her lap and peeked nervously at Cerise. The young woman’s blonde hair glowed in the fluorescent lights of the office in an almost unworldly light, and her eyes, cool and grey as Voeld’s sky, pierced through Shani’s sapphire eyes. Shani felt more comfortable talking to Anxo who was much more relaxed when he spoke, but she didn’t look away from the human’s gaze. Something in her eyes shifted and Shani had a feeling she passed some invisible test.

“Thank you, Shani.” Cerise smiled warmly and Shani felt relief swamp her. “You’ve been a big help. You can head back.” Shani nodded and scrambled to get out of the office. Her heart pounded in her chest at surviving the conversation with Cerise in one piece. Once the door slid shut the human mercenary turned to Anxo. “What is Vidal doing tied up with the Resistance? It makes no sense.”

“He always has his fingers in something, you know him. I take it this means you’ll accept the job?” Anxo asked carefully, he was unsure on how Cerise would go with this. She normally stayed out of politics but he got the sneaky suspicion that the Resistance were more than politics. Cerise ran a hand through her cropped golden hair, she preferred the A line bob as it kept the hair off her neck. For the stifling Kadara summer, that was a godsend. She was conflicted on this matter and it showed in her face. A growl erupted from her chest as she tried to ponder the possibilities. Running an organization such as hers on Kadara with two main entities vying for power was more like a chess match than anything else. She always had to think one step ahead of her competition and try to make calculated risks to gain what she wanted. The Resistance didn’t strike her as an organization that would reach out to aliens for help. Her gut felt lined with lead as she read over the packet, something wasn’t right but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Cerise snarled as she slammed her chair back from the desk, startling Anxo out of his thoughts. _Against my better judgment, let’s see what Vidal wants._

“Yeah, I’ll take the damn job. Vidal better know I’ll slit his throat if he reveals who I am though.” Cerise jerked to her feet and grabbed her under armor suit on her way to the armory. Ordinarily she wore a sapphire tank top with her favorite Milky Way band’s logo and black leggings she’d brought from the Milky Way, it was more comfortable in the organization’s base of operations. Also, the clothing was cooler, since she hated Kadara’s summer, and her tattoo peeked out when wearing the tank top. Her tattoo was of the great serpent, a leviathan the color of the sea in the tropics, that was prophesied to eat the world curling up her side ending just under her breast. The tattoo had hurt like a omni-blade to the face, and she’d cursed and regretted her decision halfway through, but the result was something spectacular. She armed and armored herself before she ventured out to the badlands and to the port, but at her headquarters? She preferred comfort. Anxo grinned and told her he’d man the fort while she was gone, a laugh burst from his lips at the rude gesture Cerise sent him over her shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay Vidal. Where the fuck are you?” Cerise grumbled as she waited at the assigned meeting post. The air was blistering as summer was just about to wind to a close, but it sure as hell didn’t feel like it. Cerise felt every drop of sweat that pooled beneath her armor, especially between and under her breasts. The most troublesome spots of all, it made her feel sticky for hours. The whir of a shuttle’s engine broke her from the miserable grumbling as she turned her eyes upwards. The well-known shuttle landed around twenty feet away on a flat patch of land but she stayed where she was. The armor she had one was once Initiative issued, but Cerise had found some dyes to tint and make the armor a custom shade. Instead of the standard white and blue, the armor was a shade of onyx with mist grey overlays. She’d painted a serpent curling around an apple, the logo for her mercenary company, on the upper right of the chest. She’d changed the tint on her visor as well, instead of the blue of the Initiative, it was a dark shade of purple that was borderline black. She leaned against the side of the building with her arms and ankles crossed. The picture of relaxed hunter but her eyes were sharp behind her helmet’s visor and they were trained on the shuttle pilot.

Reyes climbed out of his shuttle and saw the figure in the shadows. He ambled up to her, his body relaxed but she knew better than to assume this man was relaxed. Ryder didn’t get to where she was by taking people at face value. She saw he wore his usual ensemble, and Cerise would kill to know how he kept his hair as perfectly styled as it was. Hers frizzed out so much with Kadara humidity, she’d long since given up on it. _Conceited shady ass with his perfect hair._ She could almost see the gears turning in his mind as he paused in front of her. He looked her up and down once, his cool amber eyes, the color of a good brandy, assessing her. Cerise wondered how he would rank Eve out of all his accomplices, and decided it didn’t matter after all. “Eve, I presume?”

“You presume correctly Vidal.” The triumphant smile tugged at her lips as she saw the surprise fill his eyes. It was a rare day to get one over on Reyes Vidal, and Cerise savored the victory. _How do you like that Mr. Vidal?_

“Ryder!?” Reyes spluttered as surprise hit him with the force of a krogan hammer. Even his suspicious nature had never even put Ryder in the same hemisphere as Eve. Her eyes crinkled with satisfaction at making the suave Reyes Vidal stutter.

“Eve, if it’s all the same to you. After all, you wanted Eve and you got her.” Cerise reminded him as Reyes sighed in exasperation.

“The Resistance favors honesty among its associates.” Cerise attempted to stifle the snort of laughter as she held her midsection, in a futile effort to keep the snickers in. Reyes was the last person to lecture her about being honest, given his shifty nature and all. She shook her head as the chortles wound down and she could look at Reyes without having the urge to laugh again. Very few people could laugh at this man and get away with it. Reyes sent a frosty look her way that warned she’d better keep her laughter in check or there would be consequences.

“All right. I’ll keep myself composed. Let’s go meet this Resistance contact you are so eager to have the Serpents help.” Cerise climbed up on the shuttle effortlessly. Reyes settled into the pilot’s seat, the well-worn leather creaking as his weight settled down. Cerise climbed into the co-pilot’s spot and buckled herself in. She pulled off her helmet and breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air burst from the console. The shuttle was well cared for, Reyes obviously knew his way around a wrench. It surprised Cerise but that was the extent of her curiosity. She’d never been one to ask about someone’s past, just as she knew Reyes wouldn’t share his past even if she asked. She preferred it that way, since that meant he stayed out of her past.

“Now, he’s not a very patient or trusting man.” Reyes warned as he began the launch sequence. His fingers flew over the console with the ease that spoke of many years in a pilot’s seat.

“Who am I meeting exactly? The leader himself?” Cerise asked with a snort of disbelief. Reyes grinned with mischief flashing in his eyes as Cerise realized it wasn’t a joke, and her jaw dropped in surprise.

“Yes actually.”

“What!?” Cerise’s voice bounced around the cabin even as it cracked at the sheer decibel. “Why in Andromeda would the leader of the Resistance want to meet with me?” Cerise demanded as Reyes held up a hand defensively to cut off any further questions.

“I’m sure I don’t have any idea Cerise. He certainly doesn’t share his confidences with me.” He ignored her crack about Evfra being a wise man, and sent her a sidelong glance that told her quite clearly to shut up.

“All right. I’ll see what this Evfra wants.” Reyes whipped his eyes to her for a split second before regaining his composure. “I do have angara under my command.” She crossed her arms and tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool to send Anxo a message she was going off and would return shortly. Reyes tsked her as he saw the message. Cerise resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at Reyes, there was just something about him that needled her. It wasn’t lust, she acknowledged he was a handsome and charming man, but not her type at all. She figured it had to be his shady nature that rubbed her the wrong way, one never knew with Reyes if which side they would see. The charming rogue or the ice-cold killer, and Cerise knew he could be both. Cerise fanned herself as the air conditioning flowed over her, Kadara wasn’t as bad as Elaaden, Cerise referred to that planet as the eighth circle of hell, but it wasn’t a tropical vacation.

“We’ll reach our contact point in an hour.” Reyes watched as Cerise typed a few more messages into her omni-tool. It boggled his mind that this tiny woman, for she couldn’t be more than five feet four inches, from the Milky Way, the daughter of Alec Ryder, was one of the more feared mercenaries on Kadara. When she wasn’t glaring daggers at him, she didn’t look intimidating at all. Hell, he wanted to laugh at her half the time whenever she got that pissed off look on her face. But there was that edge of her eyes that warned him against it, and he knew that look very well. Cerise was hardened by Kadara just as he was, coming to Andromeda had changed them both. He had gathered his information carefully about the Serpents. They’d been a small band at first, just two or three humans, but they’d gained a reputation for being tough and performing above and beyond their client’s expectations. The group had grown from there to include asari, turian, salarian, and even angara. Reyes had been impressed by how fast the organization had grown, and he knew Eve to be a ruthless leader. The numbers doubled within two weeks of the founding, most had come because of the free money. Then stayed because of the loyalty offered and security. Eve was known for rewarding loyalty, but for those that betrayed her? Well, his double agent had suffered for his mistakes but Reyes could hardly fault Cerise for what she’d had to do. She needed to protect her people and set an example for those who ever thought about betraying her. Dickson’s death had done little to bother Reyes as well, but it had sent him the message loud and clear. Don’t fuck with the Serpents. He had been surprised that Sloane left them alone, that was unlike the wily woman. Reyes may hate her and want her throat to meet his knife but he’d respected her intelligence. He respected it too much to underestimate it, but his own plans were slowly coming together. Hopefully he could get Cerise to work with him to take down the former Nexus security leader, despite the Serpents’ normally neutral stance on things in Kadara. They’d get involved if the Collective or Outcasts bothered them directly, and it was a harsh, normally not fatal, lesson. Stay out of their way or they’d annihilate their enemy.

“We’re here.” Reyes announced as he landed the shuttle. Cerise slipped her helmet on, obscuring her face from view. An unwise choice for Evfra and he opened his mouth.

“I’m not walking out there without a helmet. No way. Once I determine the situation I will take it off.” Cerise’s voice cut off any warning he’d been about to give. He simply shrugged his shoulders and would let her deal with the fallout. They both stepped out of the shuttle and into the light of the setting Kadara sunset. Cerise’s eyes flicked over to watch it, the rosy sky darkening to hues of crimson and orange as the sun lowered itself beyond the horizon. It was a sight that never failed to take her breath away, but she had to focus on the task at hand. The angara were waiting for her and Reyes. Business had to be conducted first and foremost, but Cerise swore she’d probably need a drink after this meeting.

“You are late shena.” The smooth voice rolled over Cerise and she felt her belly quiver. She’d always been a sucker for a deep voice. Then the name registered and she shot a look at Reyes, keeping her amusement in check until they could be alone. He wasn’t getting out of this one unscathed. She turned to the tall man who had spoken, all traces of amusement banished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And art!! First is by Xandrasketchbook on Tumblr of Cerise.
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/9rn0lTH)  
> 
> 
> Done by Anafigreen on Tumblr. This is Colin and Cerise Ryder
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/T0uQXFy)  
> 
> 
> This is by nippaaah on Tumblr. Showcases Cerise's leviathan tattoo.
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/yqFAveQ)  
> 
> 
> Cerise done by WardenBlues on Tumblr!
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/xqMIWmx)  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evfra tells Cerise just what he needs her to do. This, of course, ticks her off. Something is simmering between the two but both are too stubborn to ever do more than ignore it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the YouTube link for Bad Girl's World
> 
> https://youtu.be/SWd7sfV-4oY
> 
> Art by squarerootofdestiny on Tumblr of the inner circle of the Serpents. Jusca, Trixa, Anxo, and Lister along with Cerise.
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/sTlJeAY)  
> 

“Pardon the tardiness Evfra. There were complications.” Reyes told him with his smooth accented voice. Cerise studied the angaran in front of her, the man simply towered over her. This annoyed her, normally it didn’t she was used to being short, but for some reason the way he looked at her that jabbed at her pride. The angaran before her had blue tinted skin that was darker around his cowl and neck flaps, which surprised her as she’d rarely encountered a blue skinned angara. Most of the ones in her organization had pink or purple toned skins, but it was refreshing to see the variations in their skin. The scar that split his lips and up to his cowl looked brutal, the attack must have been so painful. A stab of sympathy hit her heart at the thought of it. She refrained from speaking, however, she was curious not stupid. His blue eyes caught hers and she sensed he was sizing her up. Her hackles rose at the dismissal she saw there. _Damn it! Fuck that look, I know that look._

“This is the infamous Eve of Kadara you were telling me about?” The scorn in his voice curled her lips into a snarl. The man easily slid under her skin, like a splinter she just couldn’t reach. Which annoyed her even more since she was used to being underestimated or outright dismissed because of her size or age. Her opponent’s lapse gave her an advantage in combat or negotiations. There was something about him that tugged at her but she brushed it away before she could delve too deeply on it.

“Eve is merely a code name I use to remain anonymous.” Cerise told him as she unlocked her helmet and pulled it off. Her smoky eyes met Evfra’s without fear and kept eye contact. “On Kadara one can’t be too careful.” Evfra turned to look at Reyes with fury blazing in his eyes.

“This tiny, fragile human is supposed to be the most feared mercenary on Kadara?” The derision was evident in every fiber of his being. Cerise restrained a retort and bit the inside of her cheek, tasting the metallic tang of blood. _Fragile!? Fragile!? I’ll show him fragile!_ She bristled silently at being so hastily dismissed by this man, and the resentment grew when he addressed Reyes to answer for her. _I’m right here you jackass._

“I would not go so far as to call her fragile, Evfra. I have seen her take down a krogan with her own hands.” Reyes motioned towards Cerise who silently promised to repay the man for this, but kept her silence as she sensed being outspoken wasn’t the right tact to take with this angara.

“Well, if the Resistance doesn’t require the assistance of the Serpents. Our business is concluded here.” Her frosty tone left no doubt about her current mood, neither did the eyes that sharpened to ice shards with blatant contempt. One of the men spoke quietly to Evfra and he grimaced at the words. Cerise recognized it as Shelesh, she knew a few simple words of the exotic language. The angara in her mercenary group taught her and the others enough words to get by in an emergency. She turned with her helmet tucked under her arm, ready to head to the shuttle. She signaled to Reyes that she was going back before she took a step towards the shuttle.

“Wait.” She could hear the disgust in his voice as Evfra went against his instincts. The urge to smile bubbled inside her. _Hah, whatever it is you can’t do it without me._ She refrained from giving in to the urge and turned with a look of boredom on her face.

“Have you rethought acquiring the services of the Serpents?”

“I’m not hiring the Serpents. Just you.” Evfra told her and smiled as her eyes betrayed her as they clouded briefly with confusion before she wiped the emotion from them. A small victory was still a victory.

“I see. I was lead to believe otherwise, but I am listening to your proposal.” The human propped her helmet on her hip and looked up at the Resistance leader with a bland expression. She was intrigued to hear the proposal but knew it wouldn’t do to look eager, eager would lead to being taken advantage of. Smart of her.

“We have need of someone who can rescue one of our own. Shena has assured me you will be able to accomplish this task.”

“Well, that doesn’t answer my question. What am I supposed to be doing besides a rescue mission? Where is this angara being held?” Cerise needed details before she’d decide if she would accept the job. The old human expression, _the devil’s in the details_ , was her motto when dealing with contracts. She refused to let anyone take advantage of her mercenaries, which had gone far in earning their loyalty. The Serpents would rather hack off their own arm than let someone hurt Eve.

“Ah, this is the delicate part of the mission.” Reyes murmured to Cerise. A slim blonde eyebrow rose in anticipation. _This is going to be good. Kett facility? A kett labor camp?_ The various possibilities whirled through her head. “The woman in question is being held in a brothel.” Reyes told her. A cough erupted from her throat as she looked at Reyes in confusion, surely, she heard that wrong. _Oh no, it can’t be._

“A brothel? Is that it? Why can’t the Resistance get her out of a simple brothel?” Cerise waved a hand in irritation. Nerves jittered in her stomach as she hoped she wouldn’t hear that name again. Not the name she was sure would come out of their mouths. Bringing her all the way out to this godforsaken blight of a plateau for a brothel rescue? _Wasting my time is not something I forget easily Vidal. You’ll pay for this._ Her eyes turned to ice as she glared at Reyes who merely held up his hands to stave off the temper flaring beneath.

“It is not so simple. The brothel is being run by Madame Koshak.” Reyes saw her ears perk up at the name. Cerise had personal run ins with Madame Koshak, and the smuggler knew they were not pleasant encounters. Blood had been spilled during their skirmishes, but it was not the Serpents that felt the sting. Koshak enjoyed picking at Eve’s mercenaries, but even Reyes could not find the reason why she would pick at the mercenaries. The brothel Madame seemed more interested in making sure Cerise knew who was attacking her mercenaries, but the Serpents had never cracked down on her before. All he’d been able to determine was there was a blood feud between the two women, and it rarely ended well for Koshak. Cerise was not a woman to be messed with, and he knew the lengths she would go to if she felt she was being threatened. Reyes had never seen the cold fury in Cerise’s stormy eyes unleashed, nor did he particularly care to witness it. When Evfra approached him with this mission, he knew the perfect person to deal with Koshak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Koshak? Your operative was taken by Madame Koshak?” Evfra bristled as those frosty grey eyes, the color of Voeld’s cloud covered sky, glared at him. There was something about this human that got under his skin, he thought it might have been the way she looked at him. Those eyes were an unusual color, he’d never seen such a shade on any of the aliens he’d encountered. They stared at him with little respect and barely disguised scorn. No one stared at him with such insolence, he’d worked his way up from nothing to organize the Resistance into the force it was. He had the overwhelming urge to humble the human, make her show him the respect he had fought for. He had too much experience to give in to the petty response eagerly waiting on his tongue. Instead, he strove for a more diplomatic response.

“Yes. Madame Koshak has taken our agent in without her consent. Shena assures me that you and your group have been successful in thwarting this asari before.” Evfra kept the eye contact with the tiny human. It surprised him that she was so small yet so feared, his hands could easily span her hips. An image shot through his mind that he thoroughly and swiftly banished before it could fully form. The heat prickled along his skin told him plenty.

“We’ve dealt with her before. She tried to abduct one of my female turian mercs. Koshak learned quickly and painfully that she isn’t to mess with the Serpents.” Cerise informed him as she flicked her wrist to punctuate her words. “I also dislike the woman on a personal level.” The admission did much to relax some of the tension between their groups. The loathing in her face and body language confirmed that this was the right person for the job. He disliked using humans or other aliens for tasks the Resistance could handle, but he couldn’t afford to lose any of his men to the Madame’s bodyguards.

“If you will take the job, we can negotiate your payment.” Evfra informed her through gritted teeth. He had a personal dislike of mercenaries, and their loose moral codes. The one who has the most money wins their loyalty for as long as the money is flowing. It sickened him that there were people who could be so flexible in their loyalty.

“I think we can come to an agreement.” Evfra looked down his nose at the human. He saw her eyebrows, which was still an oddity to him, were a pale yellow. He wanted to know what her hair looked like, which was even more exotic to him than eyebrows. Evfra silently chastised himself for his thoughts as he brought his mind forcibly back to the task at hand. He held out his hand for the handshake that the Milky Way species seemed to prefer. Her grasp was firm, surprising Evfra, as she shook his hand twice before letting go. “Excellent. Now who do I get all my information from?” Cerise inquired as she clasped her hands behind her back. He noticed her thumb was lazily stroking the palm of her other hand. The sight sent a jolt of awareness through him, but it was thoroughly squashed as well.

“I’ll have the information transferred to you,” Evfra responded more irritated than normal due to his body’s response. “Now our business is concluded.” He turned on his foot to head back to his shuttle. Twilight had descended up on the plateau at this point, and he told Reyes a few hushed words before he climbed into his shuttle.

“Well, that went well.” Reyes commented as the two humans watched the shuttle leave. Cerise turned her grey eyes, now blazing with unchecked fury, on him.

“You could have told me it had to involve Koshak.”

“I could have, but you needed to hear it from Evfra. He needed to assess you. If you don’t screw up the Resistance may just become steady work.”

“Steady work is not something the Serpents lack. Everyone needs protection, and we don’t charge the extravagant rates that Sloane does.” Cerise groused as their boots crunched over the hardened clay of Kadara’s surface.

“Ah yes. Your outfit has been known to be honorable when dealing with contracts.” Reyes kept a light tone but she could detect the mockery beneath the calm veneer.

“We’re honest, so sue me. No one else on Kadara seems to be,” Cerise countered coolly as the pair climbed into Reyes’s shuttle once again. “Which does wonders for my client base.”

“Well, that will work wonders with the angara.” Reyes remarked as he commenced the startup sequence again. Cerise leaned back in her seat as her mind whirled with the risks she would be taking with this mission. She had to figure out which angle would work the best when dealing with the asari Madame this time. Last time her biotic agents had simply ripped the doors off while the others held the bodyguards at bay. Cerise was sure that Koshak had upgraded her security since then to include measures to resist biotics. Reconnaissance would be first priority and then the plan would form naturally from the information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, totally didn't expect this to leap off as it did! It was an idea I tossed around in my head so I'm happy you guys are enjoying it.
> 
> Most of the titles will be rock songs from some of my favorite bands!


	3. 3*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise has to face down an old foe to rescue the Resistance agent. Turns out she really is attracted to Evfra? Like she needs any more complications in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's mention of masturbation in this chapter. Not explicit or anything. Just throwing it out there. Smutty chapters or those reaching NSFW standards will be marked with a single asterick.

“What did the Resistance want?” Anxo leaned back in his chair as Cerise returned from the meeting. The salarian rubbed a hand over the back of his head, his orange skin tones darkening as he saw Cerise’s face. He’d received her transmission about leaving the port area and had been concerned for her safety. The helmet slammed onto the shelf with a little more force than necessary, the fury radiating from her body. Anxo jumped at the sharp crack of metal hitting metal. He knew the meeting hadn’t gone as Cerise wanted, his dark green eyes blinked nervously as he saw his boss snarl in frustration. He never worried that Cerise would take her anger out on him, but she could let loose a string of words that would turn his normally ghostly white face bright red.

“Well, you’re going to _love_ this.” Cerise unhooked her chest plates as she heard Anxo shift in his seat. Anytime that tone was used, he knew it was not going to be pleasant. It usually involved one or two names, so he took a chance on one.

“It’s not Koshak is it?” The slight stiffening in her shoulders told him and uttered a pithy curse that summed up her feelings on the asari.

“Yeah. One of their agents got taken by the bitch. Vidal suggested us since we have _history_ with her.” The sneer curled her lip as she finished taking her armor off. History was vastly understanding the situation with Koshak. Anxo didn’t like it at all, but a job was a job. He knew Cerise’s personal history with the asari Madame, the only one outside of Cerise and Koshak to know. “They’re sending over the information for us.” The soft ping of incoming email echoed in the room, silencing the two mercenaries. “Efficient.” Cerise ambled over to her liquor cabinet and grabbed the scotch. A perfectly distilled bottle lifted from Sloane’s personal stores, a small victory in Cerise’s eyes. Given she’d filched it during a skirmish between the Outcasts and the Collective, Cerise considered this a liquor to savor. Prior to their six-hundred-year nap, it was a bottle of twenty-five-year distilled scotch. She let her eyes scan the email with a detached eye.

“Well, well. Looks like the agent was taken only a few nights ago. That gives us some time before Koshak breaks her.” Cerise sipped at the scotch, welcoming the burn as it trickled down her throat. That encounter had shaken her more than she’d care to admit, and it wasn’t all because that arrogant angaran man got under her skin.

“We haven’t done recon on Koshak for a few weeks.” Anxo reminded her. The asari woman had a bug up her ass when it came to Cerise, and no one seemed to know why. Anxo knew it was because Cerise had been the one to get away, and she hadn’t left without letting Koshak know how she felt about it. By knowing Anxo meant Cerise had left a gash to mar the asari woman’s otherworldly beauty, for Koshak was known as a great beauty even among asari. Grux, the asari’s krogan bodyguard, had paid the price for Cerise’s escape which had cemented her as Koshak’s enemy.

“Yeah. I was planning on heading out there tomorrow to get a feel for the place.” The accompanying cough from her second in command amused Cerise, it was hard to ruffle the salarian’s mask. “I’m not stupid nor am I careless Anxo. I know how to run a recon.” Cerise reminded him. The memory of her father choosing Colin over her still stung, but she should be used to it by now. She’d been a bit of a disappointment to her dad all her life, but she’d bore it with not so quiet dignity. Colin had been so excited to be the recon specialist for the Pathfinder team, and Cerise loved her brother. They had often been left alone as children because both of their parents excelled in their chosen fields. Alec was often gone because of N7 duties and Ellen because of her implant research. Cerise owed Colin her loyalty, and so she remained silent and supportive. No matter the bitterness raging inside her at being left out again. Instead, she got placed on the Nexus with their security forces.

“Cerise, you know how I feel about you doing recon on your own.” Anxo reminded her. A wide grin split her face at the worry in his tone, Cerise was lucky to have a loyal second in command. She wondered if they considered each other friend or just ally. Neither one questioned their pasts, just accepted the present for what it was.

“I know, I know. Ease up Anxo. I’ll take Shani with me. She needs to get a feel for the field after all.” Her head bent back as the scotch went down like a fireball. Anxo winced as he saw the grimace cross Cerise’s pale features. He never understood the human’s fascination with alcohol, but he accepted it as her quirk.

“Shani may be a nervous wreck in the office, but I’ve heard nothing but good things when she was allowed on the few field excursions.” Anxo pulled up the field reports for Cerise to go over. She perused them and nodded at the praise given to the angara woman.

“All right. Let her know she’s suiting up with me tomorrow. Simple recon run. Shouldn’t need to fire any bullets if we do it properly.” The chair scrapped against the floor as Cerise twisted to get out. Anxo stood as well, they both had an exhausting day. Sleep called to Eve like a siren’s call, and she was weak to the temptation.

Her dreams were fitful. They involved a certain angara and she woke up covered in sweat and a throbbing crotch, the sheets tangled at her feet. A growl shook her chest as her fist hit the pillow in built up frustration. Molten desire flowed through her body, concentrating between her thighs. Her hand scrubbed her face as she tried to purge the images from her mind. Cerise had never been one to care about race, one of her few lovers had been a turian after all. Her fingers slipped under the waistband of her pants, seeking the wet warmth between her thighs. Pleasure peaked quickly for her this morning. With a shaky sigh, she sat up in her bed, rubbing a hand through her hair. She hadn’t had that many lovers, just three if she was being completely honest. Cerise grumbled to herself as she slid out from the sheets to pad across the cold floor. The wide, panoramic window was an indulgence Cerise never regretted. The sky had pink bisecting the darkness, indicating dawn was on its way. She stood watching the sun come up, contemplating everything since she’d made it to Andromeda. The twilight and lingering orgasm must have made her maudlin that morning.

The pain that her father would send her to the Nexus, yet another disappointment in their relationship. The arrival in Andromeda, the golden worlds all destroyed, and she closed her eyes as the familiar panic set in. The uprising had been inevitable, but the leadership had turned a blind eye to the valid questions everyone was shouting. When the answers never came, the people revolted but the leadership wouldn’t tolerate this, and so they’d had the krogans violently end it. Cerise had seen friends thrown around, bruised, and bloodied by the krogan on Tann’s orders. Then Tann had turned on the krogan, denying them their payment. Cerise had been unable to keep her mouth shut at that point. She’d argued directly with Tann and Addison both, passionately yelling about loyalty. Her voice, the voice of Alec Ryder’s daughter, had begun to hold sway with some of the humans on the Nexus.

Tann was unable to tolerate this and needed to squash it before another uprising happened. He’d branded her another exile even as her heart ached with yet another betrayal. The sting of it still burned at times, that was one of the reasons Cerise demanded loyalty from her group. Her hand brushed against her breast as the sting remained. She knew what it was to be betrayed and thrown to the wolves. Luckily one of the krogan exiles had gotten her on a shuttle to Kadara. Her life had truly begun once she arrived on the hazardous planet, where sabotage was its life blood. This was her life from now on, and she shouldn’t linger on regrets. A pang of hurt slashed her heart at the thought of Colin, for all their differences she did love her brother. Not being able to see him again stung more than she was ready to admit, and she blew out a breath as the sun peeked over the horizon. She pushed away the melancholy thoughts and went into her shower, it was time to get to work.

“Cerise?” Shani looked over at Cerise nervously as the human piloted the shuttle with ease. An upturned eyebrow was her answer so Shani took a fortifying breath. “Why are we doing reconnaissance during the day?”

“Excellent question. We’re doing this during the day as Koshak operates at night. I highly doubt she’s naïve enough to have her doors unguarded, but I might get lucky today.” Cerise’s light tone worried Shani. The others had shared stories of Cerise’s legendary first run in with the Madame. Rumor had it the scar on Koshak’s face came from Cerise, but Shani couldn’t get any verification.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Relax Shani. You’ve got good instincts, trust them.” Shani perked up at the praise as the shuttle smoothly landed a few miles away from the brothel. “Well, let’s go take a hike.”

“Yes ma’am!” Shani’s bright voice reverberated throughout the shuttle. She hopped out beside Cerise, following the more experienced mercenary. The brothel was a well-known business that was frequented by a few of Kadara’s residents and even more from off world. The flavor of clients left something to be desired as Koshak only cared about the credits. Cerise sat on the ledge overlooking the bordello and pulled out her binoculars. Shani sat beside her and observed the building, she saw two krogans standing by the door.

“She’s put Grux in charge of the door? Hah, that krogan hasn’t even made it to his three hundredth year if that.” Cerise speculated as she saw the newer krogan beside Grux. Cerise remembered Grux and she dearly hoped he remembered her. Koshak kept him around because of his cruel ways of dealing with insubordination. _Stupid asshole, hope he likes having one less set of lungs._ That was a memory for another day as Cerise focused on finding any new defenses on the building. “Turrets? Ugh, can she get anymore cliché?” Shani covered her mouth to keep the laughter at bay. Cerise had a sharp sense of humor when she used it. Shani’s sharp eyes noticed the canisters a few feet away from the doors.

“Cerise? Those canisters.” The binoculars swung over in the direction Shani was pointing and a short expletive exploded from Cerise.

“God damn it! She has sulfuric canisters? So, she has gotten smarter.” Her tongue clucked in her mouth as she contemplated her options. The krogan needed to be kept at distracted if she was to slip into that maintenance shaft again. She knew some of her people could handle taking on Grux and his little buddy there, but the question came from if there were more than just those two krogan. The bulk of the krogan population had made it to Elaaden, but a few broke off and became mercenaries or joined with criminal organizations. Cerise chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at the two guards. A snort shook her shoulders as the two krogan headbutted each other. _She needs to hire better help._

“A sniper could turn that to our advantage, couldn’t they?” Grey eyes met her sapphire ones in surprise.

“A sniper could work. Trixa could also overload the canisters if we could maneuver the guards into position. Turn their defenses against them.” Cerise murmured as she thought of the possibilities. She knew that one or two people would go inside the building, and the rest would distract the guards. Cerise just wished she knew how many more guards Koshak had on the inside, but if enough chaos began outside… It might just work. The plan was forming in her mind and she nodded to herself as she would discuss this with the team and get their feedback.

“Let’s call Anxo.” Cerise pulled up her omni-tool and let the salarian know her plans. Anxo had another shuttle in the air within five minutes of the call.

“So soon?” Shani’s voice shook just a bit.

“Easy kid. We’re putting you in reserve for now. You’ll stick to Trixa when she overloads those canisters.” Her hand patted Shani’s shoulder and saw the angara relax. Shani was a little uncomfortable going into combat with the others. She’d seen just how ruthless many of the other mercenaries could be, but the same could not be said for Shani. She had no reservations about fighting kett but when her weapon was pointed at another species, like the Milky Way, she wasn’t able to find the same conviction the others did. The whir of engines brought the rest of the team to them.  
  
“All right. Listen up.” Cerise announced to the team. Trixa, their turian technician, was eager to try overloading those canisters. She wanted some payback for Koshak from the attempted kidnapping. Lister, their human tank, was eager to take on the guards along with his battle partner Jusca. Jusca was a female krogan who took no shit from anyone, not even Cerise. The big boss would be headed in by herself to rescue this angaran agent, everyone knew Cerise was just one step down from Eve. They just saw her face more often and so most took to calling her boss. Cerise explained the plan to them, and for the most part they accepted it.

“Sounds risky as hell boss. I trust you and all, but we don’t know what Koshak has inside that hellhole.” Trixa pointed out, her mandibles twitching in unease. Her pale grey mandibles twitched again as she rubbed a hand over her face, unconsciously following the diagonal slash of her red facial markings. The two stripes went from her right temple to the left side of her chin, her dark brown eyes stared at Cerise in worry. She was older than Cerise, but not by much. She respected the human too much to ever question her judgment, but was concerned for her safety.

“Yeah. It is risky as hell. So long as everyone plays their part, we’ll get out of this with a few dings instead of missing limbs.” Jusca laughed at the thought of missing limbs and organs. Her dark green reptilian eyes twinkled merrily at the prospect. She towered over Cerise, as did most of the team. Jusca’s markings were beginning to turn brown, Cerise guessed the krogan was almost at five hundred. She just never voiced her suspicions. Her frontal plate was dark brown, with her scaly skin bordering on beige. “Jusca being the exemption as she still has all her redundancies.” The krogan slapped Cerise’s back, pleased when the petite human didn’t fall. Cerise would rather bite her own tongue off than admit how much it took her to not cry out at the force of the blow.

“Right boss. Let’s get this over with.” Lister slid his assault rifle from his back into his hands. The Avenger was an old Alliance model, but he knew it in and out. No one questioned his proficiency with the weapon. He stood a foot above her, at six feet four. Everyone was taller than her, and this annoyed her since she got tired of looking up all the damn time. Lister had shaggy black hair he kept in a low ponytail when not in his armor, and his dark blue eyes always had mischief in them. If anyone could claim being the prankster of the Serpents, it was him. He was the only one to make pranking feared mercenaries a game.

Cerise nodded and sent the pairs off for their respective jobs. She would slip by the guards when Lister and Jusca got their attention. Jusca saw Grux and she was thrilled with the chance to match her strength with the male krogan again. The flashing grenade caught the krogan pair’s attention when it exploded by their feet. “Flash bang!” He roared as the light exploded, blinding them. Cerise was sure their ears were ringing from the sharp scream of the grenade. Grux roared in pain and anger before charging at Jusca. The first canister exploded, which was Cerise’s cue. She slipped past the guards with her cloak on, careful to keep out of the line of fire. The roars of anger and pain followed her around the side of the building. Sulfur reached her nose and she almost gagged, yep the canisters were overloaded already. The maintenance shaft was just ahead, with no traps on it. She snorted as she scanned it quickly and then popped it open. A grunt of derision escaped her as she slipped inside the small crawl space. This was why she was the one to sneak into the building, she was the only one small enough to fit.

The other end of the shaft ended in a lavish room decorated in a mismatch of scarlet and ivory colors. A large four poster bed occupied one end of the room, Cerise wondered where the hell Koshak had gotten that, and _who_ would take that to Andromeda. _Didn’t we have weight restrictions?_ Koshak had excessive taste which was fueled by other peoples’ perverse pleasures. It sickened Cerise to think of what happened in the building, but she didn’t have the luxury of letting personal feelings get in the way now. She had to find that angaran agent. If she knew Koshak, and she did, the asari Madame would be breaking in the new recruit in the blue room. Memories simmered at the back of her mind but Cerise fought them back ruthlessly. Emotion had no place on a mission and she knew it well. Getting emotional made you sloppy and lethal mistakes were easy to make. As she approached the room, Cerise heard the familiar cultured tone. Goosebumps rose on her arms as she paused to eavesdrop.

“She’ll be lovely once broken in. Lately customers have been complaining about lack of variety.” That sultry voice washed over Cerise like ice water. Revulsion and rage dueled inside her, the burning desire to end Koshak’s life ate at her soul. Cerise knew patience was key, knew the opportune moment would present itself. A predator knew when to strike and when to stalk and observe. Cerise applied her tactical cloak and slipped out of the red room, the layout of the building branded on her mind, as permanent a fixture as the tattoo on her skin. The blue room was two doors to the left. “What do you mean we’re under attack!? Who?” The asari screeched into her omni-tool, face mottled purple from rage. “That _bitch,_ what does she want this time?” Cerise felt a smug smile tug on her face, she had a pretty good idea as to who the _bitch_ was. Koshak stormed out of the room with a sharp order to the guard about keeping the angara safe. Cerise watched her back retreat down the hall and around the corner.

Cerise slipped easily into the blue room, effortlessly taking out the guard with one well aimed strike with her omni blade. She’d feel pity but she knew what the guards did to the women and men in the bordello. The angara in the corner jerked away as Cerise appeared as the guard fell. Her wide cobalt eyes filled with fear as she huddled in the far corner of the room, away from the armored combatant. Cerise eased the tension from her features and turned to the woman. “Tersha correct?” Panic filled her eyes as the lithe purple body began to shake. “Easy. The Resistance sent me, well us, to rescue you.”

“Evfra sent you?”

“Yes.” Cerise played the message for the terrified woman. It had been sent along with the email, to play for the woman, to gain her confidence. Evfra’s low, deep voice filled the room.

“Tersha, this woman is _tavetaan._ Follow her orders until she can get you to safety.” Tersha looked at Cerise and nodded. Relief flooding her features as she realized her nightmare was ending.

“Come on. You can use this right?” Cerise slapped the angaran pistol in her hand. She nodded once in confirmation, and flipped the safety off with a flick of a finger. “Good. We’re taking a maintenance shaft to get out.” Cerise peeked out and saw the chaos of the brothel workers, Trixa had likely overloaded the cells the women were kept in. The cells were lush rooms filled with velvet and soft bedding, but a prison was still a prison no matter how it was decorated. “Orchestrated chaos is handy.” Tersha followed closely behind Cerise as they picked their way through the screaming women. Cerise skidded to a stop and Tersha rammed into the teeny human.

“ _Koshak._ ” Cerise spat the name out like a poison. The asari stood in front of them, in front of the maintenance shaft. The scar on her cheek was striking against her indigo skin. The fury in her ice blue eyes pierced Cerise, who merely met her coldness with barely leashed fury. “Get out of the way. You don’t want to personally tangle with me, do you?” Cerise snarled.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. Grux, however, is more than happy to spar with you.” Koshak laughed as the krogan came in, nursing skin that had been partially melted. Cerise muffled the glee at the sulfur burning the bastard. Her eyes, blazing with fury, looked back over at Koshak.

“You think Grux scares me? I took one of his lung redundancies remember? I’ll take him down and then I’ll make sure to gut you like the scum you are.” The frosty tone left little doubt that there was nothing more she’d enjoy more, Tersha shivered at the ruthlessness in the young woman. She had to wonder what could make someone that hard, given the humans had little experience with the kett. Grux looked at Koshak who grumbled impatiently, but he saw the fear shimmering beneath the furious veneer. Koshak would never tangle with Cerise in that way, the mercenary’s cold-bloodedness famous even in their part of Kadara.

“Take the angaran bitch and go. I have no need of you.” Koshak stepped aside from the maintenance shaft. “And tell your dogs to back off.” A mocking salute was her answer as Cerise disappeared into the shaft with Tersha. Koshak fingered the scar on her face, remembering the fierce battle she’d faced with Ryder. The brazen human had taken off after slicing her face with that omni-blade of hers, and after making sure Grux was out one set of his lungs.

Tersha saw the angaran woman with the motley crew and stuck next to her. Shani was a comforting presence in the chaos as the mercenaries headed back to their headquarters. “You’re safe now. The Serpents are not like other mercenaries.”

“I won’t be sold to the highest bidder?” Tersha’s tone was brittle after hearing Koshak speak of earning credits for her body.

“Oh no. Eve, the head of the organization, never waivers from a contract.” Shani explained and Tersha relaxed a bit. She did feel safe once the human got her away from Koshak. Cerise had not once aimed those steely eyes at her, but the hatred had burned bright for the asari.

“Yes, I said I’d rescue her, didn’t I? Where do you want the drop point?” The answering voice was muffled by the shuttle as Cerise flew it towards their headquarters. “I’m not handing her off to Shena. Are you insane?!” The voice bounced off the walls of the shuttle and Tersha flinched at it. Cerise would rather cut off her arm than leave this job to Reyes, it was a matter of personal pride at this point. Though Cerise had a more personal reason, she wanted to see him again to see if that first reaction was a fluke. Tersha curled against Shani as the younger angaran woman patted her shoulder and murmured low comforting words in Shelesh. Cerise grumbled about stubborn assholes as she turned the shuttle towards the meetup point.

“Evfra will meet us at this location. The Resistance was greatly concerned about you Tersha.” The angaran woman smiled tentatively at Cerise as the human kept an eye on the window, monitoring their surroundings.

“You are very short for one of your kind.” The human flinched and Shani muffled a snort of laughter. Tersha looked around in confusion, was she not supposed to comment on her height?

“Yes. I’m short. The bane of my existence. I’d give my left arm to gain a few inches in height.” Cerise groused in an irritated voice that lacked heat. She understood the trauma Tersha had endured, perhaps more than anyone else knew. If joking about her height eased some of the darkness in those big eyes, then they’d joke about her lack of it. Tersha laughed at the human’s words and finally felt free.

“Thank you. For rescuing me from that evil woman.”

“Well, Koshak is a huge bitch. I should be paying Evfra to let me thumb my nose at her.”

“Thumb your nose?”

“Must be a translation thing. It means that I get to take a victory over her.” Tersha nodded at the explanation. The shuttle cruised for another half an hour before it settled down at the rendezvous point. The angaran shuttle was waiting for them with Evfra and the other angaran soldiers.

“Thank you again.” Tersha murmured as Cerise helped her from the shuttle. The wounds were painful but she sensed Cerise understood at a personal level. Koshak hadn’t turned a whip or anything so severe, but the beatings had been frequent. The angaran kept her mouth shut at the understanding in those silver eyes.

“Again, no thanks needed. No one deserves to be there under Koshak. I just don’t have the resources to take the bitch down.” Cerise smiled warmly, but there was a reservation in that smile. Tersha nodded and the Resistance soldiers came running up to Tersha. Tersha recognized her brother and felt the tears flow finally as they embraced warmly. Evfra paused in front of Cerise and looked concerned.

“What has she suffered?” He’d seen the look pass between the two women, and realized Cerise understood the pain Tersha was in.

“Horrific. She won’t trust outsiders again. I can’t blame her. Males and intimidating females may scare her for a long time. Krogan and asari may be the biggest triggers for her, so she won’t do well mixed with the Milky Way races. No sudden movements. Don’t, don’t, don’t ever sneak up behind her. That is the worst thing to do.” Cerise spoke carefully as her face remained emotionless. Evfra could see small splinters of pain under the bland mask and knew she spoke from experience. He wondered how this tiny human could survive torture. “I don’t think she was there long enough to service any of the guests. Koshak typically likes to wait a good week or two before that. Makes sure the spirit is really broken.” Bitterness rang in her voice and washed over the Resistance leader. “Just treat her kindly.” Cerise turned to go and heard his voice call out to her. She paused, calming the nerves dancing in her belly. _So, it wasn’t a fluke. I am attracted to this man. Goddamnit!_ The frustration was geared more at herself than anything else.

“Your payment?” Evfra held up his transmission device.

“It’s on the house.” The jaunty smile behind her helmet barely registered before she turned on her heel and gave a merry wave over her shoulder before climbing back in the shuttle. Shani came up to tell Cerise she had been accepted into the Resistance and Cerise wished her luck. “Your skills will be valuable against the kett. Take what we’ve taught you and twist the knife in those bastards.” Shani’s eyes hardened for just a moment before she nodded. The hug was unexpected and Cerise froze with an expression of timid uncertainty on her face. The human awkwardly patted Shani’s back as she was swept off her feet for the hug. She watched the angaran shuttle take off before she headed towards the Serpents’ headquarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's I Miss The Misery
> 
> https://youtu.be/YpJAmlnBxoA


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise gets a call from Shani that a Resistance shuttle was taken down in the Govorkam system. Shani begs Cerise to investigate and she does with Reyes Vidal's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I toyed with the timeline and the Three Sabers. As well as diseases, yeah I chose Tetanus.

“Boss. We’ve got an urgent call from Shani.” Trixa called out as she entered the exercise room. An obscene urge to laugh bubbled up in Trixa at the scene in front of her. Cerise was hanging upside down from the pullup bar doing crunches. Lister lay sprawled on the floor next to her in shameful defeat, chest heaving from exertion. Jusca sprawled in a chair watching the scene with amusement in her face.

“Shani?” Cerise flipped off the pullup bar fluidly, landing in a crouch before standing slowly dressed in her black sports bra and tight exercise shorts. Trixa nodded as Cerise grabbed the towel to mop up sweat. A quick grin of triumph was sent towards Lister, collapsed on the floor in defeat. He gave her a rude one finger salute before she pulled up her comm channel. The familiar voice flowed over Cerise’s omni-tool. _What could possibly be happening with Shani?_

“Cerise? We need your help.” Shani murmured, voice heavy with worry. “A shuttle went out a few days ago with Evfra and a few of our other soldiers. We lost contact with it in the _Govorkam_ system.” Silver eyes met Trixa’s worried ones, their system? Worry punched her hard in the stomach. Cerise’s eyes narrowed in concern, a shuttle going black in their part of the system? _It couldn’t be those newbie assholes, could it? Even they wouldn’t attack a shuttle armed with the angaran Resistance. The kett wouldn’t just hit a shuttle, they’d take the angara._ A new group, The Three Sabers, were making nuisances of themselves in the system. Mostly attacking Initiative personnel and stealing supplies. They’d gotten cocky and had tangled with each of the big powers on Kadara. Sloane, the Charlatan, and Eve had hit them harder than a krogan in a blood rage, the group was still licking their wounds.

“I’ll put out some feelers Shani. See what we can find.” Shani thanked her profusely before she hung up after promising to stay in touch. Cerise rubbed the back of her neck as worry ate at her gut. She didn’t like the thought of the Resistance being in any kind of trouble, she wouldn’t analyze the whys just yet. The angaran people needed the Resistance, and so Cerise would look into it.

“I do _not_ like this Cerise. Do you think those assholes would take on the Resistance?”  
“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like their usual motive. They attack Initiative. After tangling with us, the Collective, and Sloane you’d think they’d show _some_ caution. Bloody scavengers.” Derision saturated Cerise’s voice as she spat out their name. “Vidal may know more. He’s in more with the Resistance than we are.” Trixa hated working with that smuggler, but she trusted Cerise’s judgment. Smugglers in general made the turian uneasy, she preferred to be more upfront with her dealings. After Cerise rescued her from Koshak, Trixa owed the human her loyalty. Cerise pulled up Vidal’s contact information on her omni-tool.

“Well, well, well. What do I owe the pleasure of your call Ryder?” The smooth as whiskey voice rolled over her skin like sin. It didn’t affect her as it once did, now Cerise was just business with the man. Maybe once she’d have been tempted to tangle the sheets with him, but she would also be watching for the knife. Sex was just ruined when you weren’t sure if your partner was waiting to stab you in the back after an orgasm. She didn’t bed a man she couldn’t trust.

“You still at Tartarus? Got some business to discuss.” Cerise informed him as she headed back to her room to change. Reyes invited her to join him for a drink to discuss her business. Cerise fought to roll her eyes and ended the call as she pulled off her sweaty workout clothes. The tattoo of the leviathan danced when her skin pulled and flexed, as did the jagged scar that slashed viciously in a diagonal down her back. The uneven scar went from shoulder to hip and was the result of Grux’s omni-blade, and was one of the many reasons why she vowed the krogan would die. She’d paid him back by taking one set of his lungs with her own omni-blade. A cool shake of her head cleared the memory off, more important things to worry about. The armor strapped on easily enough and soon she was walking into Tartarus.

The haze of drugs and smoke settled over her as the bass throbbed in her chest. Kian had chosen a sultry mix, fired the blood, and helped fuel some other fires in the patrons. Oblivion was the latest drug trend, though Cerise knew her guys stayed away from the stuff. The drug smelled sickly sweet when smoked, like the opiate den she’d once visited on the Citadel on a dare from Colin. The dancers recognized Cerise, some even greeting her as she passed, but none beckoned to her as they did the other patrons.

“Ah Ryder, come and join me for a drink.” Reyes tipped a glass full of amber liquid in her direction as the door slid open.  
“Sure _Shena._ ” He winced at the nickname the angara had given him, a smug smile curling on her lips at the reaction. Cerise took a sprawling seat on the sectional near him. She appeared casual but Reyes knew better than to trust this woman. He recognized a kindred spirit within her. She kept as many secrets as he did, and that was telling. Kadara was in their blood, they merely dealt in different currency. He in secrets and sabotage and she in blood and credits.

“So, what brings you into my neighborhood _pequeno?_ ” He chuckled at her raised eyebrow, she understood what he had said. His esteem raised up a notch at her understanding of the word. Cerise chose to ignore the dig at her height. _Tiny one_ indeed, she snorted. He offered her a drink and she accepted. Reyes wasn’t likely to put anything in alcohol, he seemed to have the same appreciation as she did for a finely crafted vintage. It was also his alcohol she was drinking, so she’d gladly accept the free drink.

“I received a call from one of my former agents. She says that a Resistance shuttle lost contact with their base while in our neck of the woods.” Cerise tipped the whiskey back and hissed as the liquor left a trail of fire down her throat. Surprise flitted across his face for a second before he masked it.

“I see. Did she say anything else?” Reyes went through his files about what the Resistance could possibly be doing in their system. Officially, Kadara was cast aside by the Aya government and the Resistance alike. Especially since the takeover by Nexus exiles and pirates, the local angara were lumped in with them.

“Look Vidal. Evfra and a few other angaran soldiers were on that shuttle. I have my suspicions it was that pathetic group, the Three Sabers? Or was it some other equally idiotic name? Fuck, I can’t remember. They’re the ones that’ve been snipping at the heels lately. Idiots trying to show their teeth to the big dogs, they don’t have the guts to truly take on Sloane or the Serpents. And especially the Collective. It doesn’t sound like their kind of motive to take on a Resistance shuttle.” Cerise tipped her glass towards him in emphasis as she held the rim. Honey colored eyes slid over to her smoky gaze, he knew the group well. They’d caused him headaches until he ordered the Collective to show them what happened to pathetic mongrels that tried to rise above themselves. Sloane and Eve had done the same. Reyes grew concerned, he knew Evfra wasn’t one to go on undercover assignments. He also knew Cerise’s instincts were spot on, this new group was content to scavenge Initiative shuttles and supplies. That organization wouldn’t risk the resources to deal with them, and they knew it. The Resistance leader was known for going on the battlefield, but not undercover. Which meant they’d been in the system for something important. Reyes had kept the information from Cerise about Tresha having key intel on a kett facility on Voeld, she’d been hired muscle at the time. He knew she had a devil’s temper when it was released, and as he’d told her the Resistance favored honesty before, this would taint the tenuous connection between the Resistance and the Serpents. That arrangement was beneficial to both the Resistance and Kadara, not to mention his own interests.

“I can see about calling in some contacts.” Reyes murmured as he saw the blonde hair shake.  
“I just need a pilot. Searching the whole system is a waste of time, but if I’m right. If my gut is right, we should find some evidence just in orbit of Kadara.” Cerise looked at him with those enigmatic eyes of hers, and he knew what she was asking. He merely lifted an eyebrow in question, she rarely asked him for favors. Though they both danced around the issue of who owed who in their business dealings. Mutual understanding that they’d come to aid the other, but he trusted her as he trusted a snake sunning itself. Deceptively innocent but one wrong move and those fangs would strike true.

“All right. I’ll take you into orbit.” Reyes said with a roll of his shoulders. He wasn’t comfortable doing that, but he knew Cerise enough to at least give it a chance. Her gut was rarely wrong about such things, and it had saved his neck a time or two. The two would never be considered friends, and he certainly would never trust her to have his back, but she was not one for being wrong about such things. The woman had an innate sense about her that could tell when something was screwy, she’d stopped them both from walking into an ambush with it. He finished his whiskey with one toss of the glass, relishing the scorching path it blazed down his throat. They headed out to his shuttle, companionably, and it struck Reyes as odd. The two never shared anything more than a professional relationship, he never even once considered more. The idea just screamed wrong to him. He had to imagine it was because they were too much alike, guarding their secrets religiously and never trusting anyone. The flight to orbit was uneventful and Cerise quickly scanned the area for debris.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Your gut is right once again.” Reyes told Cerise as they saw the debris in orbit. He was genuinely surprised to see the debris from what the scanner had pegged as an angaran shuttle.

“Let me scan this.” She lit up the science portion of the console. The shuttle was equipped with a small scanner, and she had it working with a few keystrokes. Her eyes never wavered from the console as the numbers zipped past her. Reyes was impressed enough to comment on it. “I do have a degree in Biological Engineering.” She waved it off as unimportant, since that degree certainly wouldn’t help her out here. Reyes was impressed, she certainly didn’t look like someone who would possess an advanced degree in science. He winced inwardly at the criticism, and kept it to himself out of self-preservation. He considered himself an intelligent man and refused to comment on it. He also knew Cerise relished being underestimated. On the outside, she looked like an everyday blonde woman who had a pleasing face to look at, but if anyone turned their back on her it was a death sentence. The scanner pinged as it picked up traces of a radiation trail. “Looks like the shuttle took some damage. Looks like the projected crash zone is in… Kurinth’s Valley. Well shit.” Cerise grumbled as she read off the results with a shake of her head. She disliked Kurinth’s Valley, too many ambush places. She hated Sulfur Springs more, only since it took days to get the putrid smell of rotting eggs from her armor.

“That hell hole?” Reyes spat out in amazement.  
“That’s the projected landing zone. Let’s check it out.” Cerise nudged him with her elbow and he gave a long-suffering sigh before he complied.  
“You will owe me big time Ryder.”  
“Put it on my tab.” Cerise retorted as she leaned back in the seat with a roguish grin. He chuckled despite himself as they cruised down to the area.  
“Indulge me. Why are you so hell bent on rescuing Evfra? You don’t strike me as the knight in shining armor type.” Reyes looked over as her shoulder stiffened. That mulish expression settled over her features and he fought hard not to laugh. One would swear Ryder was a teenager at times, even though the woman was twenty-two.

“I don’t know. I feel like I owe it to Shani.” Ryder admitted. She wasn’t about to tell him the worry that had cut deep in her gut. The dread that sped up her heartrate and the anxiety that bubbling up inside her at the thought that _he_ might be in danger. She had worked a few jobs for the Resistance since rescuing Tresha. She and Evfra butted heads every single time. He found her infuriating and she found him insufferable. Yet something shimmered between them every time they argued. Neither one was willing to examine it further, so it was shoved into a little corner until it was forgotten. Cerise knew she’d have to think on what it meant sooner or later, it was getting damned uncomfortable at night.

“Ah. Shani was a lovely young woman. It is too bad she left your outfit.” Reyes told her jovially. Cerise snorted in reply and sucked in a breath as they entered orbit. She still remembered when the Nexus had hit the Scourge, the fear as the artificial energy cloud sawed into the metal like it was rice paper. The pilots had changed course abruptly, and the personnel had been flung around as gravity hadn’t equalized yet. Injuries and blood were inevitable, but it was what came afterwards that solidified the unease in her mind. It was a memory Cerise wished she could purge. Reyes didn’t comment on the stiffened posture as they entered orbit. He settled it out as they hovered over the valley.

“Hmmm, I see shuttle remains.” Reyes looked around at the bits of the shuttle, scrap now, and felt the tightening in his gut. Cerise had been right, something had damaged that shuttle. He landed the shuttle just a few paces from the wreckage. The pair of them climbed cautiously out of the shuttle, Reyes had his hand on the Sidewinder at his side. Cerise had the N7 Valkyrie in her hand, an impressive weapon that he wanted to ask how she acquired it.

“This damage. It doesn’t look like the laser tech that kett carry on their shuttles.” Cerise brushed her fingers across the metal. The damage looked more jagged than the precise weaponry the kett preferred. Soot came away with her fingers. _Milky Way?_ Reyes leaned over to examine the damage and nodded in agreement.

“Could it have been Milky Way tech?” Cerise blew out a breath that fogged up her visor for a moment. She had the same suspicions but without more information they had little to go on.

“I can’t be sure without looking at more of the shuttle. My scans would be useless without weapons to compare it to.” Cerise murmured and snapped around as she heard boots approaching. Reyes heard it at the same time and both humans ducked around the side of the scrap, weapons drawn and bodies tense. Cerise closed her eyes for a moment to steady her breathing and chanted the mantra drilled into her head during Alliance basic training. Keep her breathing steady. Steady breathing meant steady shots, and Cerise didn’t plan on missing her target. Her eyes opened slowly as her breaths came in deep and slow. She knew she and Reyes could work together smoothly when the situation called for it, and she would have his back for as long as they worked together. Afterwards, well, that was a different story.

“Show yourselves!” The familiar lilting voice reverberated throughout the small valley. Reyes and Cerise looked at one another in surprise but stood up with their own weapons drawn, in the event of an ambush.

“Shena? Eve?” Tresha murmured in surprise. Cerise lowered her weapon as the angaran woman did, Reyes slipping the Sidewinder back into the holster at his side. “How did you two know?” Tresha approached the two humans, surprise lighting up her face.

“Shani gave me a call when you guys went dark for a few days in our system.” Cerise told her as they stood across from one another.  
“Yes. Some humans shot down our ship in orbit.” Tresha clenched her fist and the checked fury was evident in her body language. “I know not all humans are like that, but it’s discouraging.”  
“I understand Tresha. If it’s who I think it is, we’ve had dealings with them ourselves. And they’re dumber than I originally thought.” Cerise growled as her fists clenched.  
“Which is impressive.” Reyes quipped as a smile pulled at Cerise’s lips.

“We do need your help. When we landed we got into a scuffle with some scavengers. One of them had a knife on them and managed to get past our guard. Evfra and another one of our soldiers were injured by it. It seemed to have some sort of poison on it.” Tresha murmured in worry. Cerise and Reyes looked at each other in wonder, how did Milky Way poison get to Andromeda? They followed her to a rundown prefab, long abandoned, less than a mile away from the shuttle crash site.

The angry shouts were heard through the door. Cerise looked at Reyes as one seemed familiar. Tresha’s shoulders slumped as she opened the door. One soldier came forward, fury outlining his body. He raised his fist and threatened to bring it down on the humans, but something in their eyes stopped him. They had the same cynical flash in their eyes that dared him to finish his move. It sent a chill spreading through his body. Tresha put a hand on his shoulder and his fist dropped.

“They found us.” Tresha murmured. “Their people are not responsible for this.”  
“Humans are.” Fury whipped through Cerise and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from retorting. Reyes lifted an eyebrow in a lazy motion.  
“And all angaran are hospitable? We have our xenophobes just as you do.” He answered smoothly. The soldier jerked around to stomp away with his shoulders stiff. Tresha invited the duo to follow her to the sickroom.  
“It’s not a poison Tresha. It’s a disease.” Their medic said as the door opened. “Did you find the medical supplies?” His voice trailed off as he saw Cerise and Reyes behind her. “Humans? You brought humans?” He began to stand when a hand grasped his arm.

“They are not enemies.” Evfra spoke against the pain wracking his body. He saw the concern wink through those silver eyes before being snuffed out. If he was in less pain he’d contemplate on it more. The medic tersely nodded and stepped back to let the two humans through.

“You have the more advanced scanner Eve.” Reyes gestured towards the angara on the bed. Evfra and one of his trusted lieutenants. Cerise sent Reyes a withering look before she stepped forward and held up her scanner. The orange light swept over the bodies and her expression tightened. “Bad news?”

“It’s treatable, but I don’t know anything about angaran physiology.” Cerise answered him honestly. “Was the blade that stabbed them rusty by any chance?” The medic held it up and even Reyes recoiled at the state it was in. “Yeah… I think they have the early stages of tetanus.” Cerise looked down at the scanner. Everything matched up to what would be tetanus in a human. Unbearable pain, nerves on fire, and stiffened muscles were symptoms but the scanner showed it was a bacterial infection.

“What is this disease?” The medic demanded angrily as he grabbed the front of Cerise’s armor. Evfra felt a flash of fury but he was too weak to do anything, which only infuriated him further. Reyes stepped forward but he was shocked when Cerise grabbed the medic’s wrist and squeezed. He let go with a sharp yelp of pain as she stared at him with ice in her eyes.

“Tetanus is a bacterial infection. It affects the nerves and muscles, stiffening them. We called it lockjaw back in the 20th and 21st centuries on Earth. It’s fatal if not treated quickly. Medical kits come with supplies to treat it, as we were cautious about what to expect out here, but I don’t know how it will affect angaran anatomy and physiology. I don’t have a medical degree.” Cerise told the medic in a frosty tone. “It’s in the shuttle’s med kit, but they need to be in a clean place to heal.” Cerise clenched her teeth at the patronizing look the medic threw her way. She’d much rather deal with him later, but urgency scratched at her chest. She had to get them the help they needed before it was too late.

“I’ll examine the ingredients. There is a strain of bacteria on Kadara that would work as well.” The medic looked at her expectantly.  
“But it’s highly addictive. Yeah, we found that out ourselves.” Cerise finished for him. Reyes offered to go get the medical kit but the medic shook his head.

“They need somewhere clean to rest. We need somewhere safe to stay until an evac shuttle can get us.” Cerise chewed on her bottom lip before she gave it up and heaved out a defeated sigh. _Crap, what the hell am I thinking? I’m being decent for once, ugh. I’m such an idiot, but I’m still going to do it. They’re not going to like this…_

“Serpents headquarters is only two miles away. We have enough beds, clean water, and decent food to last until the evac shuttle gets you.” Tresha knew how much this cost Cerise. She wasn’t one to reveal her secrets lightly and this was a potential disaster if any of the angara revealed her secrets. Kadara residents knew where the buildings were positioned, but Cerise guarded the inside viciously. Literally, any time someone tried to get inside they became food for the adhi.

“All right.” Evfra told his people.  
“Even a couple of miles will be excruciating for you two.” The mercenary propped a hand on her hip as she looked down at Evfra with an inscrutable emotion in her quicksilver gaze.  
“We’ll be fine.” He bit out between bursts of pain. Sympathy flitted through her face before it closed up and she turned towards the door.  
“Bring them to this nav point. I’ll have the headquarters ready and the medicine as well.” Cerise transferred the coordinates to Tresha and the medic. The other soldiers looked mulish but Cerise had always been one to ignore something that didn’t agree with her. She and Reyes left and she headed towards her headquarters.  
“Need a lift Ryder?” He pointed his thumb towards his shuttle. Cerise smirked at him and shook her head.

“Not adding anything else to my tab today Vidal.” She headed towards the direction Serpents headquarters was. Reyes banished the small concern about Cerise walking back by herself, call it the last bit of gentleman in him. He’d seen the petite mercenary take down an eiloch with one well-placed trip mine and shotgun blast. Yet he always found himself worrying about the woman. He watched her disappear around the ridge and blew out an irritated breath. He had other things to worry about, such as his plans for taking power from Sloane.

“The angara are coming here?” Anxo stared at his leader as if she’d lost her damn mind. Inviting the Resistance to their headquarters was madness. He wrung his hands in a nervous gesture that was his habit.

“Yeah. They’re the best line against the kett. If the kett are busy with the Resistance then we don’t have to deal with them.” The reminder had Anxo biting off his retort. “Besides they’ve proved they can keep their word and you know how rare that is to find these days in clients.” Cerise reminded him of their last client.

“That pirate captain had it coming anyway.” Anxo shook his head at the reminder of that shady son of a bitch. Trying to pull one over on the Serpents, would he? Eve had come down double hard on the captain, his body had been spaced while his ship sold for scrap. They would live off that windfall for years to come. Anxo had to hand it to Cerise, she managed to get them the finances they need while he managed the funds.

“Yes, he did but loyalty is hard to find in clients. Something I wish to keep with the angara.” The door slid open as the Resistance members trailed in. The makeshift stretchers were directed towards two open rooms on the first floor. Trixa had the antibiotics for the medic to look over and make sure they were safe.

“These should work well with our biology.” He grudgingly forced out. Cerise nodded and allowed him to do what he needed to do.

“It will take about an hour to take effect, for humans anyway, and then it will take two or three days to fully get over the disease.” The medic nodded at the mercenary leader before he went into the room.

“Friendly bunch, aren’t they?” Trixa remarked as the medic shut the door behind him. Some of the mercenaries came out to investigate the commotion. Cerise scrubbed the front of her face in irritation. This she didn’t need, cranky angara mixed with hot headed mercenaries. She really did begin to doubt her decision to bring the Resistance to her headquarters.

“Those Three Saber assholes attacked their shuttle. Tresha gave me the run down.” Cerise explained at the turian’s curious gaze. “I am so sick of their shit.” Cerise grumbled as the pair walked towards the front of the building.

“They are messing with the wrong people, that’s for sure. How dumb is this guy? He’s tangled with Sloane, the Collective, _and_ us. The guy has to be a few brain cells short. The Charlatan isn’t known for being a very forgiving person.” Trixa ticked off her fingers as she recounted the attacks. “Then they decided it would be a fun game to mess with us.”

“Boy did they find out they made a mistake.” Lister piped up in as he joined the two women. “I still remember the guy pissing himself as you threatened to cut off his balls with your omni-blade boss.” He snickered at the memory and even Cerise found a smile tugging at her lips.

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that. Well, that guy did call Cerise a repressed bitch. And that he’d be happy to help her loosen up.” Trixa reminded Lister as the man laughed.

“Boss, is having the angara here a smart idea? Not questioning your judgment, but it just makes me nervous.” Lister voiced his concern. He trusted Cerise and he’d stand by her, but the tension between their groups was unmistakable. He just didn’t want something to blow up while they were here. He knew she was a rational woman and would hear their concerns.

“Yeah. The Resistance has earned some of our loyalty. They’ve been honest with us. If they give their word that no one will speak of what goes on in these walls, then I trust them to keep their word.” Cerise reminded them. The mercenaries nodded in understanding, they wouldn’t question Cerise.

“Now we just have to wait until the angara heal. I can’t imagine tetanus is a pleasant disease to deal with.” Cerise winced as she heard the curses coming from the room. They were in Shelesh but their tone couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

“Nope. Don’t suspect it is.” Lister agreed hastily as he and Trixa scurried into the dining area. They wanted to be far away from anything that may be thrown.  
“He wants to speak to you Eve.” Tresha murmured as she came out of the shadows. The human didn’t even flinch, much to Tresha’s surprise. She thought she’d hidden herself well, her esteem for the blonde woman went up.

“Evfra? Isn’t he in too much pain to really worry about that right now?”  
“I imagine he wants to have you track down who shot our shuttle.” Tresha speculated as the two women walked towards Evfra’s room. The angaran woman saw Cerise’s shoulders stiffen a miniscule amount but it told volumes. The human was not comfortable around the Resistance leader, their fights legendary whenever they disagreed on something. Evfra was not the most diplomatic of angara, he preferred to be far more blunt especially around the Milky Way species. Cerise ran a hand through her hair and blew out an irritated breath before she nodded as they stopped outside the door.

“Right. I’ll go see what he wants. I won’t let him talk too long. He needs to rest.” She assured Tresha, knowing she wanted to keep it brief for her own selfish reasons. Cerise watched Tresha walk off and the infamous Eve fought down butterflies in her stomach. _Idiot. Idiot. Idiot._ The mantra did little to calm her nerves as she slid the door open and entered the room.


	5. 5*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Serpents begin their investigations into the attack on the Resistance shuttle. Cerise gets her ass handed to her by Jusca in a grapple match. Some steamy shower action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a NSFW chapter. The NSFW bit is at the very bottom of the fic. The rest of it is pretty standard. Again, I played fast and loose with the angaran physiology since we have nothing canon to go on. If anyone has sources they like for angaran anatomy and physiology please send them my way.

Cerise entered the room immediately squeaked before she turned around with heat flooding her face. Evfra was naked as he changed the dressing on his wound, and Cerise felt her face go up in flames. She stammered out an apology over her shoulder and Evfra was interested to see this normally fearless woman stuttering. _Smooth Cerise. Acting like you’ve never seen a naked man, ugh, I hate myself sometimes._ Her back was ramrod straight from the mixture of embarrassment and self-hatred. Blood thundered in her ears as her pulse raced from the quick glimpse of his back. From what she saw it was a very nice back, despite the knife wound. She clasped her fingers together in front of her as they itched to run over his skin. His grunt of pain reached her and she turned around to see him struggling with the bandage. He pulled at the wound when he tried to wrap the bandage around his torso. She knew he hated the word help so she attempted to phrase her words better. “I can do that. You need to conserve your energy to get over that disease.” Cerise pointed out as he glared at her. The damn woman had a point, his hands trembled from weakness, though the medicine helped some.

“Fine.” Evfra conceded and it took a moment for it to register with Cerise. _Wait… He actually gave in? But he’s so stubborn. Well, best get this over with quickly, then maybe he won’t find out that my blood burns in my veins when he’s near._ Her soft footfalls padded over to the bed and took the bandage off the sheet. He’d gotten half of the wound bandaged but it was a three-inch gash on his back. Cerise winced as she saw the angry purple marks spreading from the wound, marring his blue skin. His skin was rougher on the back, more textured with the creases and folds of his muscles. She itched to run her hands over it, smooth it under them. A surprising urge to place a kiss on his skin almost overwhelmed her, and she stomped it down viciously.

A problem presented itself quickly, as she was short and had short arms whereas he was broad. Her arms wouldn’t go around him without her circling him or pressing flat against his back. She blew out a breath that frizzed her hair out of her face as she set to work. Her heart hammered in her chest as she placed her hand on the bandage away from the wound. His skin was burning beneath her hand, and she worried her bottom lip. He was so feverish. A quick jerk of her head brought her out of her concern. A shudder wracked his body and Cerise jerked back, thinking she’d hit his wound.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice threaded with concern, softening from its normal cold tones. Evfra shook his head, he couldn’t tell the human he’d jerked because her touch burned him. The feel made him crave more of her hands on his skin. It had been the touch of her hands, calloused from war that had made him shudder. He was used to angaran hands with their webbed fingers, and hers felt exotic on his skin. All five of her fingers spread over his skin as she held the bandage in place. She wasn’t soft like so many women he knew, she was hardened and a product of Kadara. His body reacted to her with violent need. The bandage was place against his skin again and she made sure to stay even further from the wound before continuing. He felt her step forward and puffed out a breath that glided over his skin. He felt the heat curl in his gut as he pictured her lips close to his skin, he clenched his jaw against the thought. If he wasn’t careful, his reaction would be visible, which would not be pleasant. He shouldn’t lust after a human, it was shameful that he should be so attracted to an _alien._ Evfra didn’t share the intense hatred that the Roekaar had for the aliens, but he did not think any were particularly attractive. A soft voice in his head called him a liar, angara never hid from their emotions. He looked down and saw the roll of bandages peeking up at him. He’d been distracted by her scent, a tang of spice that he couldn’t place.

“I can’t reach around you.” Cerise grumbled. _Not without pressing against this wound of yours._ She felt his fingers brush hers as he took the bandage and wrap it around his midsection. She accepted it back on the other side and they found a rhythm. “So, why did you want to see me? I imagine it has to finding the ones who fired on your shuttle?” Her voice broke the awkward, heated tension between them. He was startled out of his wayward thoughts that involved finding out what her skin felt like under his hands.

“Yes, you are correct. Tresha reported you may have a suspect?” His voice was roughened by his thoughts, but Cerise assumed it was because of the pain.

“Oh yeah. They’re a relatively new band of idiots on Kadara. They’ve tried to take on Sloane, the Collective, and even my organization. You’d think they’d learn.” Cerise bit the grin away behind him as she finished tying the knot in the bandage. “All three of us whipped their tails from one end of Kadara to the next. I’m surprised there are any members left, if I’m being honest.” Cerise patted his shoulder as she slid off the bed. Evfra felt the bed shift and creak under her movements and he pushed down the thought that bubbled within him. Her body under his, writhing under his hands with that chilly voice moaning hotly beneath his lips. He put a hand to his mouth as he tried to control the arousal, he couldn’t let his desire go unchecked. “Are you going to be sick? Nausea is a side effect of that medicine…” Cerise asked carefully as she took a small step back. She could handle limbs being blown off, gunshot wounds, knife wounds, and all sorts of blood and gore. But put a person about to vomit next to her and she becomes a quivering nauseous mess. Her one weakness that she guarded religiously.

“No, I’m not going to be sick.” His voice snapped out more harshly than he intended. Her hands came up in defense but he couldn’t see it. “Since we are unable to investigate ourselves, we would be grateful for your cooperation in this.” Cerise’s lips twitched in amusement, she knew this was killing him on the inside. _Just how much is this digging at you Evfra? Knowing that you have to ask these Kadara mercenaries for help?_ A perverse need to needle him bubbled up within her. She was never one for resisting temptation, though she was careful to not be reckless.

“Let’s try this again. ‘I would be ever so grateful if you would take it upon your kind self to look into this matter for me, oh great Cerise. After all, I can’t get up because I got a knife wound to the back. And a horrible _human_ disease that knocked me flat on my ass.’” Her singsong voice grated his nerves and helped dampen the lust simmering in his belly. He forgot how disrespectful she could be. She had the cheek to disrespect him in front of Resistance soldiers when they’d argue over vid comm calls. Cerise ducked out of the door before he could retort and she whistled a cheery tune as she walked down the hall.

“Hey boss. I already got a lead on the shuttle attackers.” Jusca hailed as Cerise strolled by their lounge. Cerise stopped and turned her body to stroll in the small room.  
“Let me guess.” Cerise put a finger to her lips in hilarious parody of deep thought. “They tried to salvage bits of the shuttle.”

“Bingo. We’d put up a message about it.” Several of the angara swiveled their heads towards Jusca. “That it was ours. Calm your tits.” The krogan growled as the aliens went back to their own business. “So anyway, they tried to pawn it off in the slums. It’s not the Three Sabers like we thought though.” Jusca told her the details. Cerise chewed her bottom lip as she listened to the krogan. The scavengers were unaffiliated with any of the known organizations on Kadara, nor were they local angaran.

“Boss, you know I hate investigating crap like this.” Trixa threw back her head as she leaned in the chair. “We’re not detectives.”  
“Yeah boss.” Lister agreed as he took a swig of his water. “Kinda gotta go with Trixa on this. We’re built for knocking heads together, not piecing together puzzles.” He tilted his water bottle towards her in emphasis.

“I get it. This sucks. I’m not the most thrilled about this either, but if it is the Three Sabers, they need to know that they don’t get to run around on Kadara attacking anyone they please.” Cerise reminded them and the collective sigh told her all she needed to know. They’d bitch and moan but would trudge behind her in the slums.

“Cerise. I’ve done some more investigating. It does appear as if the shuttle was taken down by Milky Way weaponry.” Anxo handed her the data pad that contained the analysis. Cerise hopped up onto the table next to Jusca to read over the results.

“Well, that doesn’t tell us too much. It’s a start since my gut told me it was Milky Way when I saw the shuttle.” Cerise waved the data pad to illustrate her point. Jusca grinned and took the data pad from her feisty boss.

“Yes. Though I was able to track down recent weapon purchases in Kadara, slightly easier now that you’ve made friends with the weapons merchant up in the marketplace. The Three Sabers made weapons purchases that match the damage done to the shuttle.” Anxo crossed his arms in front of his spindly body as her brow furrowed in worry.

“Well, shit. This is suspicious.” Cerise rubbed the back of her head in mild annoyance. She’d have to go out and speak to the assholes. The memory of their dickish ways pissed her off all over again.

“You gonna go question these guys boss?” Jusca looked over as a thunderous expression dropped on Cerise’s face. Everyone knew how much Cerise despised talking to the Three Sabers, and she’d much rather let her fists do her talking.

“I’m going to have to.” Cerise grumbled as she tugged on a lock of her hair.  
“Why would the Three Sabers attack a Resistance shuttle anyway? You think they want to branch out?” Lister thought out loud from his spot spinning his water bottle on the table.  
“It’s a possibility. They also may have thought the shuttle was a merchant or some other civilian vessel. The Resistance don’t label their shuttles after all.” Cerise tucked her hair behind her ear as she thought about the situation. She’d have to hunt those scavs down and find out how they got the shuttle debris. Which would be like finding a needle in a haystack in this godforsaken planet.

“We can just go threaten the Three Sabers for the information.” Jusca added as she propped her elbow on the table. The krogan was not known for her infinite patience. Her toothy grin told her comrades exactly how she wanted to deal with the situation.  
“Let’s get a few more bits of information first. Then I’ll let you knock as many heads around as you want.” Cerise promised as Anxo agreed to look into the marketplace.  
“I’ll call in a favor one of the wind farmer guys owes me.” Lister threw his water bottle at the trash can the group had. Cerise lifted her eyebrow at the offer and he grinned sheepishly.

“Only if we can’t uncover anything from the port. From everything we know these jackasses don’t know how to be quiet or operate an undercover op. So, they’ll have been bragging in port somewhere. I’ll take Kralla’s Song, who wants to take Tartarus?” Trixa raised her hand and was assigned to visit the nightclub. “Good. Tell Kian we’ll send him a good vintage if he has any useful information about them.” Her boots scuffed against the floor and the table creaked as Cerise jumped down. There was little they could do at this point but gather information, and she knew the angara wouldn’t be happy with that.

“Come on boss. I’ll challenge you to a match.” Jusca ruffled Cerise’s hair.  
“What? No thanks. I had those bruises for a solid week last time.” Cerise griped at the warrior. She still remembered the swift boot to her ass the last time she’d tried to fight the krogan. _No thanks, my dignity is staying intact this time._

“Scared?” Jusca grunted as Cerise elbowed her.

“Not a chance.” Cerise taunted as she skipped ahead of Jusca. She dodged the playful swipe and Tresha watched with her heart in her throat. Some of the soldiers tensed up but heard the laughter. “Alright then krogan. I’ll take your challenge.” The group headed into the exercise room. _I’m going to have so many bruises later…_ Anxo, Lister, and Trixa pushed everything out of the way as Cerise stripped off her tank top. Tresha saw the jagged scar on her back and sucked in a quick, stuttering breath. Cerise was in her sports bra and leggings when she toed off her boots. Jusca took off most of her armor, they were just playing around anyway. Neither one took the fights seriously as Cerise knew Jusca could trounce her easily if given the chance. If Cerise wanted an advantage over the krogan, she had to use surprise and sneaky tactics.

“Hey boss. Kick Jusca’s ass!” Lister cheered from the sidelines. Cerise snorted and gave him a withering glare as she dusted her hands on her pants before facing Jusca.  
“Only cause I kicked yours last time.” The krogan threw out the insult over her shoulder at Lister. He stuck out his tongue as he watched the two get into position. Some of the Resistance members came in to watch behind Tresha. Evfra and the other injured angara hobbled down to watch the match as well. The new dosage of medicine healing their wounds as their systems purged the rest of the infection.

Jusca lunged for Cerise who nimbly dodged out of the way with a pivot. She brought her elbow up into the krogan’s soft under belly, the grunt of pain her reward. Though she knew better than the relish any victory with Jusca, and twisted away as the krogan grabbed for her. “Smart move boss.” Jusca laughed as Cerise stood behind her. To the outsider it looked like a choreographed dance, the only thing it lacked was music. Not the lifting melodies of flutes and violins but a darker, more sinister tune. Full of bass and strings.

“You may have the brute force, but you have to catch me first krogan.” Cerise taunted as Jusca barked out a laugh. Neither woman was angry and their traded insults only added to the spectacle they were making. They engaged in hand to hand combat, each getting in solid blows with one another. The fact Cerise managed to maintain her stance with each solid punch did much to raise her estimation with the angaran soldiers. She gave up ground with each blow, but she didn’t fall to her knees. The soldiers didn’t realize that Jusca wasn’t putting in her full strength behind each strength, just as Cerise was pulling her punches with the krogan. Neither were intent on hurting the other, it was just a way to expend nervous energy. Sweat dripped off Cerise’s back as the two locked arms in a grapple. _Ah crap. Well, it was nice knowing you unbruised ass._ Jusca easily flipped the human. Cerise landed hard on her back and coughed as the wind was knocked out of her. Spots briefly flashed in front of her vision despite the padded floor. She sat up and her back was exposed to the angara soldiers for the first time. The red, puckered scar contrasting with the pale skin of her back. Evfra saw it and felt his stomach clench at the pain she had to have endured with the wound. Cerise shoved an irritated hand through her hair, tousling the wavy strands. Her mouth pinched, stinging a bit from the split lip, in frustration as she felt the pain radiate from her ass. No doubt that would be sore for a while.

“Getting tired boss?” Jusca laughed as Cerise threw a peeved glare over her shoulder.  
“And time!” Trixa called as the two were about to lunge at each other again.  
“Well, call it a draw?” Jusca offered her hand to Cerise who grinned as she was yanked up by the krogan.

“Nah, you knocked me on my ass today. I say this was your win.” Jusca preened but knew the victory had cost her. Cerise may have been almost half her size but those punches were solid. Jusca also realized that Cerise hadn’t put any heart or fury into her punches. The pint-sized human could easily hold her own against opponents bigger than she was, the joke was Cerise had to learn to fight bigger opponents from a young age. The human woman was slim but her arms were solid and muscled from years of fighting. Cerise was not the poster girl for fragile womanhood, and would punch the teeth out of anyone who would dare to call her that. She hated being called fragile, almost as much as she hated jokes about her height.

The angara filed out after the bout, while Tresha stepped forward to hand Cerise a towel. The human woman beamed at her as she accepted it, despite the blood oozing from the split lip. It was as if the human didn’t feel the small wounds. Tresha was amazed as Cerise merely dabbed at the lip with the edge of her towel, biting off a vicious curse at the sight of the blood. The angaran woman grinned at Cerise who merely shrugged it off before she helped the other injured angara out to their room, helping them as their strength was sapped. Cerise’s people filed out as well, to go drink with Jusca after her victory. Soon it was only Evfra and Cerise left in the room, the silence dragging out between them. Cerise wiped the sweat from her face, taking care not to prod her injured lip.

“Have you found out anything since we last spoke?” Cerise nodded as she slung the towel over her shoulders. They didn’t have much in the way of news, but it was a step in the right direction.

“Yeah.” Her chest was still throbbing from the intense workout with her krogan lieutenant. Jusca knew how to test Cerise’s limits when in a mock battle. Her muscles stung from the workout, begging for a good stretch and shower. Cerise would settle for a nice long shower. “Some. We’ll be going to the port later to investigate some leads.”

“Good, you can brief me.” Evfra told her as he headed back towards his quarters.

“Whoa, whoa. I’ll give you a brief of what we found, but I will be taking a shower first. You don’t give the orders in this house Evfra.” Cerise reminded him as his nostrils flared in irritation. She was right but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. The sheer _gall_ she had to dismiss him, as if he wasn’t her equal or better. It rankled far more than it should have.

“All right.” He followed her to her quarters and she growled in impatience. Cerise did her best to ignore his muttered complaints as she headed outside for the stairs. Her quarters were on the second floor, next to her office. Let him follow her, he would be waiting while she showered the aches away. She wasn’t going to come out until she was darn good and ready. Which would take as long as she needed it to. _Let him stew._ The door to her room opened silently as they entered. The towel fluttered to the bed as she was aware of his eyes burning a hole in her back. Ripples of awareness raced over her skin, causing her nipples to bead under her bra. She was acting like a fool, lusting after a man who viewed her species as disgusting.

Evfra studied the small room. He expected the leader of the organization to have more luxurious quarters. There was a large bed by his standards, sheets tangled in a heap at the end, pillows carelessly tossed around on it, and two bookshelves filled with knickknacks and books. He wandered over and saw portraits of Cerise hugging another man with her face next to his. A stab of irritation cut through his chest, but he didn’t want to analyze the feeling. Nor did he want to put a name to it. Evfra studied the glossy portrait. The man an identical eye color she did, that icy silver, and he had the same smile. He never saw Cerise smile, she’d grin or smirk but not the smile he saw in the picture. She seemed so much younger in the picture with this man. Their eyes twinkled with the same mischievous light. He saw she didn’t have the hardness to her eyes in that picture.

There were a few small statutes on the bookshelves, along with physical books. A statute of what looked like a winged human in a gauzy purple dress dancing in a wide circle on a beautiful yellow flower sat next to the picture frame. The whimsical contrasted so much with the woman he knew that a laugh bubbled up in his chest. He saw the serpent sitting in the middle of the shelf. Perched next to the image of her and the other man. The emerald scales glistened in the overhead light as it curled around a red globe of some kind. The rustle of clothing behind him tightened every muscle in his body. His nerves felt strung tight as he heard the soft thud of fabric hitting the floor. Awareness snapped through him as the image of her naked arose in his mind. He wondered if reality would match up to fantasy, but he checked the impulse to find out.

“You won’t find too much over there. Just some stuff I kept from the Milky Way.” Cerise told him as she shimmed out of her pants. She was left in her panties, cool air caressing her naked breasts. She entered the bathroom before taking off the scrap of black cotton. The door to the bathroom was closed but her room had some good acoustics, which normally didn’t bother her. Except she could almost feel the disapproval rolling off of him in waves. It would have amused her if she wasn’t strung tight as a wire with burning need.

“I see the man in the picture with you.”

“Ah. That’s my twin, Colin.” The edge to her voice, sharp as a blade, warned him not to press further, so he refrained from asking questions. His back ached as the wound healed, they’d dosed it with another measure of medical ointment. It was closed and should heal properly with only a day or two rest. His pulse throbbed in his wound and in his chest. He turned and saw the clothing scattered along the floor, his stomach clenched as lustful thoughts ran through him. The hiss of the shower reached his ears and he could not believe the woman was going to ignore him in favor of a shower. The sharp scent hit him immediately, the spice that was her rolling over him. He closed his eyes to savor it. The fragrance was not overbearing as some heavily perfumed scents were, and he thought it suited the human. The scent was as secretive as she was, and slapped his senses as her temper slapped at him.

Evfra continued to look over the bookshelf. The titles of the books were foreign to him. _Pride and Prejudice_ was the only title he could read with his translator’s help. The other titles were too difficult for the translator, the angara hadn’t had official contact with the Nexus to gain access to its language archives. Which was just how Evfra liked it, but it made it difficult to get a feel for the human and other Milky Way species’ cultures.

“If you’re still there.” Cerise explained everything they’d learned about the shuttle incident. He listened to her as his fingers picked up the serpent. He rolled it around in his hands, marveling at the craftsmanship, before placing it back. The green serpent had a single red eye like glittered like some ancient evil in the harsh light of her bedroom. A new sound snapped him from his thoughts, the soft groan almost too low to hear. His senses trained on the bathroom door. Lust coiled tight in his abdomen, not unlike the serpent around the forbidden fruit. He turned towards the bathroom door, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Cerise let the hot water blast her skin. The pulsing water felt fucking amazing beating against the aches in her back. A groan echoed off the glass walls of her shower stall at the ecstatic feeling of the pain melting away. Embarrassment flushed her skin a bright red. She hoped Evfra didn’t hear, that was one thing she didn’t need. While her blood hummed anytime he was within her vicinity, she assumed he felt nothing but disdain for her. She was an alien after all, and he was the leader of the Resistance. Nothing would ever happen even if they weren’t the people they were. It didn’t mean she couldn’t melt into a puddle of liquid heat whenever he turned that voice or those piercing blue eyes on her.

Something about men with deep voices in positions of authority made her weak in the knees. Perhaps it was having someone overpower her for once, Cerise bit her lip at the thought. Another groan, this time not from relief, slipped out of her lips. Her nipples beaded as her breasts swayed, aching to be touched, in the hot shower. Her pussy was throbbing from the thoughts of being dominated by the Resistance leader, on her knees while he thrust in her from behind. Cerise slapped a hand against the glass wall of her shower, letting shivers of heat roll through her. Cerise cursed her body’s betrayal, knowing she had to satisfy it. Her traitorous body swayed at the thought of him behind her in the shower. Her fingers brushed her nipple, pinching it and rolling it between her fingers. Sucking in her bottom lip, she tried to muffle his name that spilled from her lips. Her hand slid lower still, over the curls at the apex of her thighs. Two fingers slipped into her wet heat as her thumb circled her clit. Small tight circles that sent waves of heat rolling through her nether regions. The tension mounted as her thumb moved how she needed it to, her fingers thrusting inside her wet heat. She bit her lip to keep the moans at bay, but the notion that Evfra was in the other room only heightened her arousal. He could walk in at any second and catch her fucking herself with her fingers. The wave of ecstasy hit hard as the pleasure built inside her. Her imagination put Evfra behind her, his hand where hers were. Whispering words of dominance in her ear as his hands brought her to her peak. Her thumb pressed harder against her sensitized nub as she felt her climax close. Cerise threw back her head as the dam broke inside her. Blonde hair slid against her neck as she ground out his name between clenched teeth, momentarily forgetting where she was. The waves washed over her, inner muscles clenching around her thrusting fingers. Her body felt boneless as she came down from the orgasm. Her fingers slipped out, letting the blistering shower wash away the intimate traces of her essence from the tips of her fingers. Cerise braced a hand against the shower wall as she shuddered a few more times, that orgasm was more intense than she’d had in a long time. She flicked off the water and stepped out to grab a towel.

She let out an unholy shriek that bounced off the walls as she saw the figure standing in the doorway. She clutched the towel to her breasts as she glared at Evfra standing in the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest. Heat shot down her spine as she looked at him. “I was taking a shower! Do you mind?” Her tone was sharper than she originally planned, but her heart was still racing from the scare and lust simmering in her body. The mixture of embarrassment and fright combined with arousal made her slightly more skittish than normal. Her hair dripped rapidly cooling water down her skin, sending goosebumps along her body. Her nipples tightened to points from the cool air and arousal. The look in his eyes sent another shudder through her, there was something there. She likened it to a predator stalking prey which made her throat go dry at the thought. Except, that can’t be right. She was a human and he was the leader of the Resistance. He usually treated her with barely hidden contempt, but the way he looked at her right now… It was anything but full of disdain. Her body heated in anticipation.


	6. 6*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evfra's POV. 
> 
> Evfra gets the story from Tresha about how Cerise spent her first two weeks on Kadara. And why she hates the asari Koshak. He has to decide what he wants to do with the information, and how will Cerise react when she finds out Evfra knows about the time in the bordello?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW for the first 2/3 of the chapter. You can skip to the bottom and it'll be SFW.

Evfra stood frozen in front of the bookshelf, telling himself that first sound was just his imagination. The second and third ones? Those were not figments of his feverish mind. They had rolled over his back like the sunshine on Aya. He was pulled towards the sounds. The quiet footsteps barely making any noise over the sound of the shower running. He walked towards the door of the bathroom to listen in, to make sure she wasn’t injured. He told himself it was simple concern that had him listening in, even as he called himself a liar in his mind. Every fiber in his body went taut as he heard what sounded like his name pass through the door. He knew he should give her privacy. _Perhaps she should not have said my name._ As the door opened with a soft hiss the steam from her shower hit him. The scent of hit him with the full force of a tropical storm, but ripples of sex floated in the air. His body reacted violently to the thought of her being aroused while he was in her head. Arousal punched him in the gut, and he fought to keep himself balanced.

The shower stall was made of clear glass, though it was fogged from the steam of the shower. Her hand was pressed against the glass, and the other… His eyes widened as he saw the other hand between her pale legs, a blurry outline. Violent need whipped through him, his hardened cock sliding out from its protective sheath between his legs. He silently cursed the woman who seemed to have more control over his body than he did. The muffled whimpers glided over his skin as he watched her fingers moving between her legs through the glass. He knew the moment she had reached the pinnacle, her head bowed back as she fell off the edge. The graceful arch of her neck as she let the waves of pleasure wash her away. His name spilled from her lips and he ground his teeth together as he restrained himself from tearing open the shower door and joining her. Evfra watched patiently as she came down from the orgasm, reaching to shut off the water. He remained silent as she left the shower, water sluicing off her skin which had turned pink from the orgasm and heat. He studied the differences in her body to female angara, the body he was used to. The swell of her foreign breasts, swaying with her movements. It should have disgusted him, being such an alien sight. Instead his hands itched to cover the soft flesh and have her cry out his name again. Her body was rounded at her waist. His eyes glided over her entire body as she reached for the towel, oblivious to his presence.

The shrill shriek jolted him out of his thoughts and saw those unique eyes glaring daggers at him. The towel clutched to her breasts tightly, golden hair dripping on the floor. “I was taking a shower! Do you mind?” Her voice was shaky from arousal or fear, he wasn’t sure which. Instead he let his eyes drag from her feet to her face, bright red from fury. The serpent stretching up from her hips to her breast intrigued him. Its turquoise scales glistened in the bathroom light, crimson eye staring at him, as it curled up over her soft flesh. The head stopped just below her breasts, coiled tightly. The serpent entwined with Eve. Evfra felt his cock twitch in response to her nudity, and he straightened from leaning on the counter. Wariness snapped into her eyes as he took a step towards her, it should have shamed him to make a woman nervous. In her, it excited him. This was a powerful woman, one of Kadara’s most feared mercenaries. Yet, she was wary of him, and had just pleasured herself with his image in her head. He was sure of that. She refused to take a step back as he came towards her, even as her shoulders stiffened, and he felt a stab of excitement at her courage. He was used to intimidating many people around him, whether on purpose or not. His position as Resistance leader demanded respect and obedience from the soldiers. While he led with empathy, sometimes it was not enough and lives were on the line.

This woman, _Cerise,_ refused to back down from any clash they had, which was intoxicating. A small voice in his head whispered that he had met his match in this tiny human woman, but he shoved it away. Introspection could wait until they were finished. An urge to pull her to him consumed him.

His hand lifted to touch the damp silken strands of her hair. He’d always been curious about what her hair would feel like, and reality far exceeded his imagination. The strands flowed through his fingers like water from one of Aya’s beautiful waterfalls. Her scent tickled his nose as he stepped up in front of her. Her hand clutching the towel brushed against his chest, he stared down at the top of her head as his hand stroked the strands of her hair. A tremor went through her and a dark hunger settled in him. Eve, the second most powerful woman on Kadara, trembled in front of him. His other hand came up to her face, a firm grasp of her chin, and tilted it up until he could see into her eyes. Hunger sharpened her eyes to the color of smoke and he felt her pulse fluttering under his fingers. It matched his own erratic throbbing heart. The discovery that she was as consumed by her desires as he was intoxicating. His thumb stroked over her bottom lip, enthralled by the soft texture. He was used to seeing them thinned out in anger or frustration. Even the cut on the side of her bottom lip fascinated him. She took wounds such as these and shook them off, and refused to complain.

“Evfra?” His name was a shaky whisper on her lips as she gazed into his eyes with lust simmering in their depths. His name on her lips set his blood on fire. It was inevitable now. He uttered a curse and lowered his mouth to hers, giving in to the temptation. She stiffened against him as his lips covered hers. He reveled in their softness, running his tongue against the seam. They trembled open on a sigh as she reached for his shoulders, rising on her toes and letting the towel drop between them. She tasted of scotch and sunshine, a contradiction to her icy veneer. His hold tightened on her chin as she brushed her tongue against his. Her fingers dug into the soft material of his shirt, and her body fitting against his. Those breasts pressed against him, softer than he imagined. Her stomach cradled his throbbing erection through his clothing, and she arched against him on a quiet sigh. A stuttering moan broke their kiss as his other hand traveled down her back, trailing over the soft skin there. His fingers brushed the puckered skin of the scar for a moment, before he stopped just above her ass. The impulse to grab her and lift her against him threatened to devour his mind.

Cerise tilted her head to the side to break the kiss and brush against his jaw. He clenched his teeth against the wild heat inside him. Control could not be given up. His lips brushed against the skin of her neck eliciting a strangled whimper from her. Her skin was hot to his touch, he had to run his hands over her body. She gasped out when his hand grazed the side of her breast. At first, he thought he’d hurt her, but the flush on her skin told him it was the opposite. He cupped the warm weight of her in his hand, cursing the barrier of his clothing between them. Her nipple beaded against his palm and drew his curious gaze. Cerise didn’t meet his eyes as she groaned at the feel of him on her breast.

The golden curls between her thighs drew his attention, it was a strange yet alluring sight. His hand drifted towards her center with a muffled groan against her neck. She whimpered as his finger brushed against the apex of her thighs. One just parted the wet folds of her core, she arched her hips against him, quietly begging him to continue.

“Cerise? Are you here?” Evfra bit off a curse as he recognized the voice. The two of them froze as the angaran woman called out to her. Tresha had come to seek out Eve. _The shuttle! How could I let myself get so distracted?_ Evfra condemned himself several times over in his head as he jerked his hands from Cerise’s body. He saw her reach out and grab the counter while a tremble went through her body. Her eyes were no longer dark and soft but hard like steel again, contempt glittering there. He wished he knew if it was contempt against himself or herself.

“Tresha, I’m sorry. I’m just getting out of the shower. I’ll be down in a few moments.” Cerise called out to the angaran soldier, her voice only shaking a little. Unfulfilled desire shook Evfra to his soul, his cock was not going soft anytime soon, and his lips curled into a snarl. Cerise bent down and snatched up her towel and sent him a withering glare. It was almost as if she knew what he was going to say to her. “Don’t say a word.” Cerise ground out between clenched teeth as she wrapped the fluffy towel around her body. Anger mixed with lust as she gave him orders.

“This never happened.” Evfra spit out in response. This human thought she could order him around, that was impossible. Cerise’s eyes snapped to his, cold as Voeld’s worst blizzard, as she pushed her hair out of her face.

“Fine. This never happened. It won’t happen again either.” She snarled quietly at him. The harpy stomped past him with her hair curling around her face like a halo, which was ridiculous as she was the last woman to wear one. “If you don’t want your men to talk, I suggest you wait a few moments before you leave.” Her eyes glanced down to his erection, blatantly displayed by his pants, before flitting up to his eyes again. With a sniff, she whirled and left the bathroom. His hand clenched into a fist and slammed on the counter. “Please don’t destroy my stuff.” The voice grated on his ears and he had to fight the urge to grab her and drag her onto the bed. Something about her brought out a side of him that was unfamiliar to him, a dark need to have her submit to him. He did not like it but it seemed to flare up whenever she was around. A primal desire for her shook him, a _human_. He had goals for the Resistance, goals an entanglement with her would complicate.

“Hey boss. You done changing? We got some new intel on that shuttle.” Trixa’s voice floated over to Evfra.

“Just finished. Jusca threw me for a good one today and I needed just a little bit of extra shower time.” Cerise’s voice sounded cheerful without a hint of lust in her tone. Black thoughts settled in his mind as he heard the two women leave the room. He waited until his erection subsided before he went to join them downstairs.

“I see. It was the Three Sabers then?” Cerise asked as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Nothing about her screamed that she’d pleasured herself in the shower while picturing him in her mind. Her calm demeanor sparked a temper in his. The veritable ice queen.

“Well maybe. They were recently seen in company with some equipment registered to Aya. A local angaran merchant caught it, heard about our broadcast for lost shuttle parts, and contacted us.” Lister explained as he sat at the table, feet propped up on its surface. Cerise stood against the wall with her fingers on her chin, brow furrowed, as she tried to puzzle it out.

“Right. Let’s pay them a visit and get this shit straightened out. I am not running around in circles.” Her voice was hard and spoke of the violence she was capable of. This was the side of her that threatened his plans for the Resistance. The darkness in her that was prone to coming to the surface when she was threatened. Evfra couldn’t be sure of how far she’d go. Her group worked with his for the moment, but he did not know how long her loyalty would last. Kadara would never mix with Aya, ever. He would do well to remember that.

“Evfra, are we just going to let these humans investigate for us?” His lieutenant complained to him. Evfra sent him a dismissive look and he quieted down. They had little choice on this planet. Kadara was an untamed wilderness teeming with deadly water, pirates, and vicious exiles. They didn’t know the local political situation, and could not navigate the different smaller factions. The Serpents could and did. Many groups feared them and for good reason. Evfra watched Cerise quietly as she gave orders to her people and nodded. This woman should not have inspired such loyalty in the ragtag crew she had gathered. Yet not a single one would dare betray her words, and he wanted to know why. Tresha seemed to know much but she wasn’t saying anything against the mercenary. He’d have to get a little tougher then while they waited for Cerise and her group to come back from the Sabers.

“We will let them investigate. It’s better than bringing suspicion to us if this situation doesn’t happen the way we want it.” Evfra explained and the soldier nodded before he left.

“Evfra, the human and her group are heading out to talk more with these human scavengers.” One of his soldiers informed him as he saw Cerise leave the room with the turian and krogan. Evfra nodded and watched the group go. The salarian remained behind much to their annoyance. Anxo looked over at them with a sly, knowing smile curling his lips.

“You didn’t think Cerise would trust you by yourselves at her headquarters, did you?” Tresha understood the caution that Cerise took, but the others looked truly affronted at being accused of being untrustworthy. “You don’t trust us, we get that. But you have to know we don’t trust you either.” Anxo pointed out sensibly. Evfra snorted as he heard the salarian’s words. He understood but something didn’t sit well with him at that thought. He decided to focus on healing while the woman, _Eve_ , dealt with these Sabers. Tresha watched Evfra with a curious gaze but kept her silence. He indicated his head and she followed him to the room he was given.

“Yes Evfra?” Nerves laced the woman’s voice as she faced down his cool gaze.  
“I want to know something about Eve, Tresha. I want you to be honest with me.” Evfra told her as she swallowed nervously. Her hands twitched fretfully as she looked down.  
“I understand Evfra, but I don’t feel comfortable sharing…” Tresha told him softly.  
“I shall not reveal who told me.”  
“She’ll know. I suspect the only one who truly know is Anxo, her second in command. I don’t even know the whole story, just pieces that I strung together. I stayed there for days and heard the poison Koshak spews for the human.” Tresha commented offhandedly as she looked up at Evfra’s eyes. “Why do you want to know Evfra? Will you tell me that at least?”

The damned woman saw too much. Her calm eyes bored into his soul it seemed. He didn’t want to answer honestly and had to quickly come up with a lie. “I wish to know my allies. That is not a crime, is it?” Evfra asked with a pointed look. Tresha’s shoulders slumped as she’d get nothing else from him and she shook her head.

“It is not. All right Evfra, I will tell you what I know.” Tresha murmured as they sat. She sat in the chair while Evfra sat on the edge of the bed. “Koshak had people kidnap her when she arrived on the planet and left the relative safety of the port. I don’t know why her people exiled them, nor did I ask. Her hair and eyes are apparently rare even among the humans, and Koshak wanted them, wanted her. She was just starting the brothel then.” Tresha locked her fingers together as she looked down at them. The pain stung as she was giving away what little she’d discovered of Cerise’s secrets, but in the end… Tresha was more loyal to Evfra than Cerise. “Koshak is a cruel woman Evfra. She punishes the recruits to break their spirit. I had endured only three days, but Cerise endured a week and a half.” His eyes snapped up to hers in alarm and she nodded. “She refused to break even under those conditions. I don’t know the details but Cerise gave Koshak the scar on her face, and after that Koshak gave her to Grux to deal with.” Tresha shuddered at the memory of that krogan. “As you know, she isn’t the type to go down without a fight, not even after the torment inflicted upon her.” Tresha mumbled. Shame washed through her at betraying a woman that had risked much to rescue her, regardless that she had been paid to do so. “Grux slashed her back with his omni-blade, that’s where her scar comes from. From the talk between her and Koshak it seemed to be her breaking point and it was fight or break.” Evfra was silent during the entire telling, shoulders stiff from barely contained fury. “She used her own omni-blade to stab the old krogan. She laughed in Koshak’s face as Cerise reminded her about it.” Tresha looked to the side as tears welled up in her eyes. To laugh at such a thing, just how much had Cerise endured on this planet?

“How did she get away?” Evfra’s voice was cold and brittle. His hands dug into his arms as Tresha recounted when Cerise had told her as they’d escaped the brothel. She’d used the chaos of stabbing Grux to slip into the maintenance shaft, she’d seen it from earlier beatings, and ran as fast as her feet and wounds would let her.

“Anxo found her. He brought her to the boarding house he was staying at in the badlands. The salarian told me it was out of pity to see something so wounded, he certainly had no gain in it. Once she healed she swore she’d never let anyone take advantage of her. Then she built the Serpents up from the bottom.” Tresha finished her story and sighed. Shani had told her about the origins of the Serpents, which was how Tresha knew this. She also knew Cerise was capable of great violence and would commit unspeakable evil acts if she was threatened. Tresha got the impression that the woman never acted unless threatened by something or someone lashed at her first. Which the angaran woman could not hold against the human. When your life is threatened it was difficult to not do what was possible to keep it.

“Thank you for telling me Tresha. I understand it was hard to tell,” Evfra said as she stood stiffly. Tresha nodded and walked quickly to get out of the room. Evfra was left fuming in the room. The woman kept secrets, too many secrets. Evfra only wondered what else she kept from him but he also knew he was being ridiculous. Deeper, his heart wrenched for what the woman had endured. It spoke of how she had become so hardened and cold. Angara appreciated honesty, but it seemed Cerise did not. He should have known, given she lived on Kadara. He was furious at feeling so helpless against the pain she must’ve gone through. Evfra assumed it was a battle scar, not something she’d gotten from _torture_. She’d been defenseless when taken by Koshak and attacked by Grux. His heart twisted at the pain she must have endured, and yet it didn’t break her. The inner strength the woman possessed was something to be admired, even if her propensity for keeping secrets was not. Still, getting involved with someone on Kadara would jeopardize everything he worked for. That was not going to change. No matter how courageous the woman was. Yet, her secretiveness didn’t stop his blood from singing in his veins when she was near.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Serpents find out who attacked the shuttle and it pisses Cerise off. She and Evfra butt heads in front of the soldiers and Cerise tries to ignore the attraction for him. There can't be any kind of connection between them can there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder... I played fast and loose with the Three Sabers in this AU.

“I swear by the spirits, if I have to hear one more of your jokes Lister.” Trixa growled a warning to the dark-haired pirate. He merely grinned cheekily and winked at her. Cerise blew out an irritated breath and rolled her eyes. Jusca just laughed at Trixa’s mock outrage.

“Stop ripping each other’s armor off with your eyes.” Jusca grabbed her stomach as she doubled over with laughter. “Once we’re done with this investigation you can do it for real.” The twin protests and denials only made Jusca laugh harder. She had to tell them to stop so she could breath. The shuttle landed at the Three Sabers headquarters and the mercenaries got ready for a fight. Cerise blew out an annoyed breath as they disembarked the shuttle. “Let’s go deal with these annoying assholes.”

“Oi! Hand over all your stuff and we’ll let you live!” One of the lookouts yelled at them from the tower next to the hideout. Jusca snickered and looked at Cerise in amusement. Cerise rolled her eyes skyward. _Save me from idiots._

“You, dumbass, I want to have a word with your leader. Now go get him like a good boy and I’ll let you keep whatever brain cells you have left.” Her tone hinted at the danger he was in if he refused as she stepped away from the shuttle.

“Just who the fuck do you think you are?!” One of his mates recognized the armor and whispered hurriedly to the lookout. “Fuck, the Serpents? Call the boss.” One scurried off inside the building to get him, with the booming laughter of the krogan at his back.

“Well, well. Cerise, still being Eve’s lapdog huh?” The leader called out as he strolled out to meet Cerise. He wore a condescending smirk on his face as he went toe to toe with her.  
“Look here tiny dick syndrome. I need answers and you’re going to provide them or you will _beg_ me to end you.” Cerise warned him icily. His confident façade slipped for a second but he put it back in place. Her eyes frosted over as she curled her lip in a snarl at him.

“What questions are you asking?” He stared down at her with gleeful eyes, he wanted to take her on in a fight. He was overconfident in himself that he could take her, though she kept that helmet on. She remained calm and cool while she could practically feel the lust radiating from him. Disgust skittered down her spine and she felt his greasy gaze sweep over her. Completely different than Evfra’s straight forward gaze. That had sent heat licking under her skin, but this guy? Cerise wanted to smash his face in for daring to think his thoughts. _Disgusting prick. I want to ram my pistol into your balls and just squeeze the trigger._

“That shuttle business. Know anything about it?” His body tensed up and her sharp eyes noticed. The butt of her pistol was in her palm as she waited for just one sign to pull it.  
“I don’t know anything about shuttles.” Sweat beaded on his forehead as his voice shook with a tremor. Cerise almost snorted at the obvious lie. The guy needed a lesson in how to bluff.  
“You can’t pull that one on me. We have evidence.” She told him as she gripped the pistol tighter. His eyes swept from side to side frantically. _Don’t do it._ Cerise told him silently as she kept her eyes on his face.

“Get them!” He shrieked as Cerise blew out a frustrated breath. Why did things always have to end like this? She grabbed the upper edge of his armor before he could sprint away and jerked him down. He screamed as her helmet slammed into his unprotected face. The blood splattered across the visor as she let him go down howling. He clutched at his nose and mouth as the blood poured out.

“Now. Let’s try this, again shall we? Shuttle parts?” Cerise calmly wiped the blood off her visor with a small cloth she carried.  
“Okay, okay! We didn’t know it belonged to the Resistance! We thought it was just a merchant vessel!” He cried as the blood refused to stop. Cerise rolled her eyes as she watched him sniveling at her boots.

“Hmm, well _that_ I can believe. Now.” She hauled him up to his feet so they were face to face. His face winced in anticipation of another headbutt. “Which one of your fucking lackeys is the one who stabbed the two angara?” Cerise’s voice was low, almost in a growl.

“Thomas. It was Thomas! They put up a fight when we got them to the ground. Honest!” He gasped out as Cerise dropped him.  
“Get me that man now.” Cerise snarled and he scrambled up to his hideout. Trixa walked up to her side, Jusca and Lister were keeping an eye on those lookouts. No need for any sucker shots to try and get their boss.  
“What are you thinking?” Trixa murmured. Cerise was filled with rage and she didn’t know if she could resist the urge to beat the living tar out of the man who stabbed Evfra and his soldier. The memory of the gash on his back slithered through her mind and she fought the urge to get vengeance.

“I’m going to let the Resistance deal with him. They were the ones injured by his attack, so it’s up to them to mete out justice.” Cerise informed her.  
“And it will go a long way towards gaining their trust.” Trixa finished for her boss. Trixa agreed with Cerise about working with the angara. The kett threatened all of them, so if they could help one another, it would benefit all their species.  
“He’s taking a long time.” Jusca called out and Cerise bit out a short expletive. Trixa pulled out her assault rifle as Cerise marched up to the hideout doors.  
“Get your ass out here or I swear I’m coming in there! If I step foot in that door, I am not leaving until I wipe the floor with every single _one_ of you assholes!” Cerise boomed into her omni-tool, which amplified her voice for the Three Sabers.

“You can’t take us all on you damned snake!” The jackass yelled out from the top floor. Cerise rolled her eyes and gave Jusca and Lister the signal. Both had greedy grins on their faces as they approached the building with their weapons drawn.

“I’ve got a krogan, a turian, and a walking human tank. That tells me I _will_ make sure I wipe the floor with you. Last chance, give me the asshole who attacked the angara or I take out your guys _and_ take your stuff.” Cerise warned as she pulled the pistol out into her hand. The weight of it comforting to her as this was something she knew. Not those tangled up feelings when she was near _him._

Silence met her demand and then the doors opened. A wire haired young man was thrown out despite the pleadings. “Are you Thomas?” Cerise demanded as he clawed at the door.  
“I didn’t know they were Resistance soldiers when I attacked!” He cried out in desperation. Trixa snorted as Jusca holstered her weapon. Lister stared down at the man with cold gleaming eyes. Cerise grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to his feet.

“That doesn’t matter. You’re going to be _their_ problem.” Cerise growled at him. She inclined her head towards the base. “Make sure we get the remnants of the Resistance shuttle. If there was any intel in it, it will be in our hands.” Cerise watched the merciless delight light Jusca’s eyes as she tore down the door with one well-placed charge. Lister was right behind her, cackling maniacally. Trixa walked with Cerise to the shuttle with the background music of gunfire and screams. The explosion shocked both of them and they whirled.

“Damn it Jusca! I didn’t say use grenades!” Cerise snapped as she saw the flashing red light in the windows.  
“Looks like she got carried away again boss.” Trixa murmured as Cerise slapped a hand to her helmet, while the other one held tight to Thomas. He twisted in her rock-solid grasp, clawing at her armored gauntlets. She popped him on the side of the head, hard enough to daze him, and he stopped. The two women dragged him to the shuttle and were soon joined by Jusca and Lister. Both were splattered with a bit of blood and had soot streaked across them.

“I don’t even want to know.” Cerise grumbled as Thomas sat in his spot, chained there by some omni-cuffs.  
“He didn’t want to give up the shuttle remains. He’d pawned most of it off, but the data pads were something he was saving. Can you believe he wanted to sell it to the Roekaar?” Lister asked in surprise. The fool would’ve been shot and the Roekaar would have had key Resistance intel.

“You dealt with him?” The grim nods were her answer to that question as she got the shuttle back into the air. They arrived at the Serpents headquarters with the jackass in tow.  
“Did you find any information?” Cerise tossed Thomas at her feet. Tresha looked shocked at first but then his face registered. Fury snapped into her features as the man tried to crawl away.

“There’s the man who attacked your leader and soldiers with the knife. He’s yours to do with as you see fit.” Cerise told them with an indifferent wave of her hand. She motioned for Trixa to bring the data pads up to her. “We also recovered these from their hideout.” She handed the electronic devices to Tresha and the medic. Both looked stunned to see the intel there.

“What were they planning on doing with it?” Evfra’s voice rose above the clamor in the foyer. Cerise bit down the memories of what had happened in her bathroom.  
“He was going to try and sell to the Roekaar.” Cerise answered honestly. The fury lit his eyes and she could tell she was included in his thoughts. It stung more than she cared to admit that he was lumping her in with those Three Saber assholes. _I’d never try to work with the Roekaar. I may be willing to bend the rules, but I’d never betray an ally once an alliance is made._ Cerise curled her lip back in a snarl anticipating his words.

“They were going to sell out our intel to the Roekaar?” Evfra felt the anger bubble inside him like lava from the hottest volcano. “Your species is despicable.” The words were out before he could stop them. Fury flashed in her eyes before she tamped down on it, he saw another emotion spark there before she covered it quickly.

“Oh yes. We’re all despicable. We’re so evil to share our residence with you. Disgusting creatures we are, we gave you medicine.” The words struck true and he refused to feel shame for his words. “We got your intel back. We got the guy who injured you.” Cerise turned her head to get a better control of her temper.

“You look here.” Evfra snarled as he stepped closer to Cerise. Her stomach jerked in response to the fury in his eyes. Jusca straightened from her perch but Cerise met his heated glare with one of cold fury. She held up a hand staying the krogan. The other angaran soldiers saw Jusca pause and lean back against the wall, the complete obedience was astounding to them. Though it was more that Jusca knew Cerise could handle herself just fine in a fight instead of obedience.

“No, you look. Not every species are pillars of virtue. Don’t try to tell me that you haven’t done things to survive that bend the rules Evfra. There are always going to be those who are willing to walk in the shadows and bend the rules. _Your_ species is no different, so don’t you dare try to preach to me about that.” Cerise snarled at him as she poked him in the chest. The angara were amazed to see someone go toe to toe with Evfra. This human wasn’t backing down, and she wasn’t giving Evfra the respect he deserved. The hostility was vibrating in the air but neither party was budging.

Cerise felt the tension simmering between them as they both replayed the memories from earlier in their minds. She wanted to yank him to a private room and drag him to the floor. Inwardly, she cursed her weakness. Attraction was not something she could afford at the moment.

Evfra looked down at the petite mercenary whose eyes blazed with checked fury. Lust rolled through his body as he fought the urge to yank her to her toes and smother that smart mouth with his. His fingers itched to feel that silken hair once again, so he clenched them into fists. The line was clearly drawn and neither was willing to budge on it.

“I see our welcome has been used up.” Evfra told her carefully. Cerise curled her lip in response.

“If you’re going to bluster and rage at me? Then yes, get the hell out of my place.” Cerise agreed to his surprise. She wasn’t one to tolerate anyone questioning her in her own home. Jusca snorted in the corner at the stunned looks on the angaran faces. “You aren’t the one in charge here Evfra. You may command your soldiers, but me? Fat chance in hell you’ll ever tell me what to do.” Cerise laid down the gauntlet and Evfra refused to let her know how her words made him react. He wanted to show her what would happen if they gained any privacy, even with her promise of it never happening again. He would show her what would happen when she snapped at him with that blazing fury. The challenge she threw down was far too tempting to ignore. He wanted to make her submit to him, the thrill raced through him as he pictured her on her knees in front of him.

“We’ll be out by sundown.” Evfra snapped at her instead. The shuttle would be there by then and the angara would be off world. Distance would clear his head of her and this damned need that pulsed through his veins for her.

“Best of luck on your voyage to Aya,” Cerise said with a mock salute. She turned on her heel and stomped through the door to the exercise room. Evfra watched her leave the room with her crew behind her. Tresha looked over at Evfra and the flash of yearning in his eyes before it was snuffed out. Her blue eyes looked over at the door Cerise left with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Gee boss. Don’t tell me you’re attracted to the angara. I pegged you for having better taste than that.” Jusca told her as the krogan grabbed a chair to sit in. The human was getting out of her armor and snapped her eyes up to the krogan, denial raging in them. Trixa, Lister, and Anxo had gone off to do their own things for the evening.

“Shut it Jusca.” Cerise growled as she went up to their homemade punching bag and sent it flying with one well aimed jab.

“Your form is shitty tonight. Something’s eating you.” Jusca smirked as she watched Cerise punch the bag again. “Or you wish someone was eating you.” The human missed the next punch and the squeal ricocheted off the wall as the bag hit Cerise. Jusca felt the rumble of laughter bubble in her chest, but she kept it in. She had no desire to pick a fight with her boss, but it was obvious something was going on between the Resistance leader and her.

“Jesus krogan.” Cerise muttered as she swung her leg in a perfect arc to smash into the punching bag. Cerise wasn’t a kick boxer, she preferred her fists, but she wasn’t a rank amateur. She’d learned out of necessity when Koshak had bound her hands during one of those torturous days. The shudder wreaked her body as she concentrated on the punching bag.

“So, it is the angara. I could practically see the tension rolling off you in waves.” Jusca said as she looked down at her claws. It amused her to see Cerise getting so wound up by someone, but also concerned.

“Eat my ass Jusca.” Cerise snarled as she settled into boxing the punching bag. Jusca just watched her patiently and Cerise snarled in impatience. When something was eating at Cerise, silence was the best way to get an answer. “Okay yes, I find him attractive. Nothing will ever come of it, so what’s the point?” She tossed her head to get the hair off her face. “He’s Resistance and I’m part of Kadara now for better or for worse.” The creak of the bag echoed in the quiet room as Jusca let Cerise get it off her chest. “He made it abundantly clear that I’m a mistake that he won’t be making.”

“Oh, so he’s made a move? Was it worth it?” Cerise sent the krogan an icy look. Jusca laughed at the ice in Cerise’s eyes. “This I have to hear.” Cerise stopped punching the abused bag and flopped into the chair next to Jusca.

“Well, he followed me into my quarters after our bout.” Cerise told her friend. She considered Jusca, Lister, Anxo, and Trixa friends after all they’d been through and they considered her the same. They were the founding members of the Serpents. Cerise had never been shy about sex, but this subject was slightly embarrassing. She actually felt hesitant to talk about it in detail. “I may have, ah…” Cerise tried to find a delicate way of saying it.

“You fucked yourself in the shower, didn’t you?” Cerise sent her a furious glare with red tinging her cheeks and Jusca leaned back with a hoot of laughter. “Oh, this is priceless! So, what happened?” Cerise grimaced and told the krogan the story. “Well, shit. It does sound kind of final. Especially when you go and say it won’t happen again.” Jusca ruffled her hair. Cerise blew out a breath and put her head on her arms that were folded on the table. “So… How was the kiss?”

Cerise sent Jusca a withering glare and crossed her arms in refusal. The silence was tense for a beat or two before a breath hissed out between her teeth. “It made my toes curled damn it! Agh!” She rubbed the sides of her hair in frustration. She had this unshakable knowledge that she and Evfra would be beyond sexually compatible.

“You could always try Vidal.” Cerise gave Jusca one quick glare that had the krogan shaking her head. “Right. Not your type.” Jusca laughed. Cerise snorted and shook her head.

“It’ll be fine. We’ll work with the Resistance if Evfra still needs us to. Can’t get too hasty with severing connections. Besides, we do share a common hatred of the kett.”

“Right, you were here on Kadara before Sloane slaughtered them.” Jusca remembered. She’d arrived a few weeks after Sloane cleared Kadara.

“Yeah. I remember the kett before Koshak put me up in her brothel.” A tremor went through her body at the memories of those initial days on Kadara. It had been hell when Sloane was taking power from the locals and that had turned Cerise’s stomach. Though her wiping out the kett did much to earn Sloane favor, Cerise was already done with the former security head.

“Sorry boss. I imagine it was hell.” Cerise gave one terse nod and Jusca didn’t pry any more. “Though there’s nothing wrong with flings.” Jusca grinned and chortled as Cerise gave her a glower. She gave in to the urge and stuck out her tongue at the krogan which only set her into more laughter. “Oh, come on boss. Does it have to be him? You could sleep with any of the available men on Kadara.” Jusca pointed out.

“Just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s what I want. Maybe I’m more like Eve than I thought.” Cerise muttered. Jusca, Trixa, and Lister had been let in on the secret identity when they’d begun working with the Resistance. “The whole forbidden fruit thing? Kinda makes sense in that way.” Cerise groaned as she leaned back in her chair.

Jusca snickered at the image and slapped Cerise on the back. “Why not set out to seduce the angara then? I’m sure you could if you set your mind to it.” Jusca looked at the expression on Cerise’s face, the mulish expression in her eyes, and sighed in defeat. “All right, all right. I won’t mention it anymore.” Throwing up her hands, Jusca stood up to head for the door. She stopped and turned her head to the side to watch Cerise. The subject change was abrupt but the krogan figured her boss could use it. “Do you think the other arks will ever get here? I heard your brother and dad were on the human one.” Jusca looked back at Cerise.

“No idea. At this point, there’s no point in speculating. Not like the Initiative would ever give us information anyway.” That slapped at Cerise’s pride. She wanted to know if her brother and dad were alright, but that was the price she paid for speaking up against Tann. Cerise would never take it back.

“Don’t you still have that contact in Nexus security?”

“He almost got caught. I don’t want to jeopardize his job there.” Cerise admitted. “So, I cut contact with him.” Jusca nodded in understanding and strode through the door. She passed by Tresha and Evfra as they walked back to the angaran quarters. Tresha smiled at Jusca who tilted her head in acknowledgement before continuing.

The open door drew Tresha’s attention. She peeked in and saw Eve standing in front of the punching bag with a bleak look on her face. The normally spirited woman looked deflated and miserable. They had no way of knowing it was because of the thought she’d never see her brother again. Evfra looked in to see what caught Tresha’s interest and saw the same look, her shoulders drooped and head bowed as if in prayer, but she wiped it from her face in an instant before attacking the punching bag again. Tresha felt for the woman, she couldn’t imagine the pain Cerise had endured the short time they’d been on Kadara.

Sensing a presence at the door, Cerise assumed it was Jusca as she bit out sarcastically. “Do you have any more comments about the lack of sex in my life Jusca?” Cerise turned and saw the two angara standing in the doorway. Her entire face flushed red as she realized what she just said. “Oh, uh, s-sorry about that. Uh, did you need something Tresha?” The words stuttered out of her mouth as she cringed in embarrassment. Cerise stopped the bag as it swung back on her, she did not need to embarrass herself further in front of these two.

“I was wondering something. I saw your match with Jusca.” Tresha went into the room with an idea in her head. “How are you at hand to hand combat?”

“Fair. My Dad tried to get me to officially train but I wasn’t the best student.” Cerise admitted. Alec Ryder had hoped the training would take the wild edge off his daughter, but it had only increased her dangerous side. Tresha nodded and studied her muscles. Cerise had a toned body, her arms were well defined, her legs strong. Tresha had no doubt this woman had scrambled hard to get to where she was.

“Would you honor me with a match? I’m interested to see our two styles clashing.” Tresha held out a hand. Cerise looked at Tresha with an eyebrow raised.

“Now?” Cerise asked curiously as Tresha shook her head.

“No, our shuttle is almost here to pick us up. One day when we meet again, I’d very much like to see how our fighting styles match up.” Tresha watched as Cerise mulled over the words in her head.

“All right. I wouldn’t mind sparring with you some time Tresha. Next time you find yourself on Kadara, look me up.” Cerise grinned as the angaran woman nodded with a smile. She agreed and they received news the shuttle was landing.

“Take care Cerise. Don’t let Kadara do you harm.” Tresha murmured.

“A little late for those words of caution.” Cerise grinned roguishly as the Resistance soldiers walked past the exercise room. Evfra snorted as he followed them, not sparing Cerise a glance good-bye. Which was what she supposed was the thing to do, there really wasn’t a connection between them.

“Well, it’s done. I doubt he’ll ever come back to Kadara and I certainly won’t get an invitation to Aya.” Cerise mumbled to herself as she blocked the bag with her forearm and let out a left hook. She took out her frustration on the punching bag until sweat poured down her back and her chest heaved from the exertion. It didn’t dull the pain stabbing her heart but she pretended it did.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of months have passed on Kadara. A kidnapping on Aya sends Cerise to Elaaden. The eighth circle of hell as far as she is concerned. She hates sand. This mission hits her soft spot: children. Cerise may be a hardened mercenary but she's a hardened mercenary who plays rhyming games with children darn it.

Cerise and the Serpents spent the next couple of months bringing even more notoriety to their name. Sloane became worried about how much power and influence Eve held in her fist. The Collective mostly left them alone, which suited them just fine. Cerise had given more responsibility with running the company to Jusca, Trixa, and Lister. Anxo was thrilled to have others to help with the paperwork. The others were not so thrilled about filing reports, but Cerise was happy to split it. She still used Eve as her codename when dealing with business, but her circle knew her real identity. The residents of Kadara respected the Serpents as they kept to themselves unless a business contract was negotiated, that was when the paranoia set in.

The Resistance had sent them on recon missions and raids in the kett labor camps. Cerise had taken more than a little pleasure in decimating the kett labor camps and freeing the angaran prisoners. Sloane had poked at her a few times, but Cerise had brought the hammer down mercilessly, and the Outcasts had tucked tail and run. Cerise knew it was just Sloane’s way of seeing how Cerise would react, and each time she passed muster. Cerise never bothered to attack either the Outcasts or the Collective on her own, as she didn’t want to avoid the Kadaran politics. Too much of a pain in the ass to dance around with Sloane and the Charlatan. As long as they both left her alone, she wasn’t going to attack them without cause. The Collective left the mercenaries alone, which instantly raised Cerise’s suspicions. Her group was wary of any dealings with that shady group, as their leader stayed in the shadows. The Serpents had Eve, but everyone associated Cerise and Anxo as the faces of the mercenary company. Her distinctive black armor with the coiled serpent was the trademark look. Anxo had a similar set as did the rest of the inner circle. It told everyone that they were in a leadership position and got there one way and one way only: they fought hard.

News from the rest of Aya was slow, but the Resistance kept up steady communication. Most of the citizens of Aya knew about the mercenaries and found that the group wasn’t as despicable as the others of their respective species. Even Evfra was surprised when Cerise turned down an offer to betray the Resistance, the rebels had been loosely affiliated with the Roekaar. The leader, an angaran woman, had offered Cerise a substantial amount of money to turn on the Resistance and lead them into a trap designed to strike a decisive blow against them. Instead, Cerise had trounced the rebels for daring to ask, which had done much to earn respect from the soldiers in the Resistance. The fact she’d delivered the rebels to Voeld, practically tied up with a bow, had spoken of her honor to the leader there.

“You don’t wish to stay?” The angaran woman teased as she saw Cerise shivering. The disgruntled look sent her way had her laughing, but Cerise declined her invitation. The shuttle took her back to Kadara, and Cerise hadn’t complained about the weather on Kadara since her trip. Lister teased her mercilessly about it; he’d been lucky and stayed on Kadara. Cerise snarled at him that she’d stick him on Voeld if he didn’t pipe down. He’d laughed and dodged her kick easily, she didn’t put any effort behind it.

Trixa and Lister became a couple, a serious one, which surprised Cerise. She knew they were attracted to one another, but it was unusual to have a serious relationship in their line of work. Flings were more the flavor of the day. Most couldn’t commit to a serious relationship due to not knowing if they’d make it back from a mission or not. Cerise congratulated them and gave them some time off to go celebrate. “You’re as green as the water here with envy, aren’t you?” Jusca propped her elbow on top of Cerise’s head, leaning against her after Lister and Trixa left. Cerise blew out a breath and puffed out her hair.

“Pfft. As if.” Cerise murmured though Jusca had been spot on. The months away from him had not diminished her feelings whatsoever. Just the memory of that kiss sent her heart racing again. _God damn, stupid, idiot, dumbass, fool! You just had to go and fall for the one man in Heleus you can’t have._ Cerise snorted at her own thoughts as she pushed at Jusca’s hand. She stalked off to her office to finish up some paperwork and bury her mind in the tedious numbers and words.

“Boss, we’ve got a message incoming from Aya.” Anxo called out from the office. Cerise leaned back in the chair and brought up her omni-tool to answer the call.

“Tresha.” She began but cut off when she saw Evfra. That was unusual, Tresha was normally their contact in the Resistance. The very few occasions she’d dealt with Evfra had been volatile, with the two of them snapping at each other. Two alpha personalities vying for the power in their tenuous partnership. “Evfra, to what do I owe the grand pleasure of your appearance?” Cerise’s voice had mocking overtones and his eyes narrowed only slightly, but she saw it. He recognized the mockery in her voice and his teeth clenched against it.

“We have a job for your group. Or rather, you.” Evfra told her. Cerise tilted her head with interest clear on her face, it was rare that they wanted Eve alone. Usually it was a job that required a few of her mercenaries, and rarer still to have her go out.

“Oh? Dare I even want to know?” Her tone had him suppressing a growl. She never failed to aggravate him with her disrespectful tone. The gall she had. Yet his body burned when she mocked him in that tone. The blood heated under his skin at the reminder of their scorching kiss.

“One of the prominent families on Aya has been targeted by kidnappers, from your Milky Way.” Evfra spat out the words in disgust. Cerise barely managed to keep from rolling her eyes. His disdain for her galaxy and species was abundantly clear. Yet, he never found any problems working with the mercenaries from the Milky Way. _Or kissing me… Don’t go there Cerise, don’t you dare go down that road._ She clenched her teeth to keep her mind from the memories of pressing against him.

“I see. I assume you’ll be forwarding all the information we require?” He gave a terse nod in reply. She heard the voice of an angaran woman come over the comm and Evfra barking an order to restrain the woman.

“No! Evfra, you must go after my baby! She’s only a child!” The woman sobbed as the soldiers restrained her. Evfra barked an order in Shelesh, one that her translator didn’t pick up. Jusca’s shoulders tightened as did Cerise’s. A child? It was one thing to kidnap an adult, but a child? Children kidnappers were some of the lowest form of criminals and Cerise didn’t know if she would show them any mercy, and it must’ve shown on her face since Evfra addressed her.

“The kidnappers will be put on trial on Aya, you will deliver them to Voeld.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust but agreed to the terms. So long as they didn’t put up much of a fight, as she wasn’t going to just let them shoot her and not pay a price.

“Too bad Lister’s on vacation. You could send him this time.” Jusca laughed as Cerise rolled her eyes.  
“All right Evfra. We’ll take the job. Send over all the information you have.” The sobbing woman heard her voice and jerked away from the guards to look at the vid comm.

“She’s one of _them!_ What are you thinking Evfra? She’ll turn on us and demand even more money!!” The woman raged at him in her grief. Cerise kept her face emotionless, something Jusca was always amazed by, and addressed the woman. The jab was one at their integrity, which had Jusca’s hackles rising, but Cerise stayed calm. The kind of hysteria the woman was going through was unimaginable to Cerise, and she knew that she woman spoke from that depth of fear. She didn’t think about her words, but only from the soul rending pain and panic of not having her child.

“I may be human, but I will get your child back. I’ve worked with the Resistance before. The criminals will pay for taking your child.” Cerise’s calm and even tone broke through the solid wall of hysteria.  
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“They threatened to kill her if we do not give them these credits. I don’t even know what a credit is!” She wailed, grabbing the sides of her head as the tears renewed in her eyes. Cerise grimaced as she saw the depth of the woman’s grief, it pricked her heart more than she’d let on.

“I understand. It’s a form of currency that our galaxy uses. I won’t let them kill your daughter.” Cerise murmured and the woman was escorted out by the guards. Evfra tapped a few buttons and had the information sent to Cerise. “I’ll deal with them Evfra. The child will be found.” The call disconnected as the mercenary went over the information.

“Interesting. They demand credits? Idiot. The angara don’t use Milky Way credits, how the hell would they get that many anyway? I don’t even think the Initiative has that much on hand.” Cerise mocked the ransom note as Jusca looked over her shoulder.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Is that even a real number?” Jusca growled as she read the amount. Cerise shrugged and flipped through the information.

“Last contact was traced to… Elaaden? Of course, it’s _Elaaden_.” Cerise groaned as she thought of the planet. The krogan had set up a colony there but Cerise hated going to the godforsaken desert planet. Too much sand and heat for her. She always managed to have sand lodged in her ass for a good three hours after leaving the planet. She swore she took back half the fucking planet when she emptied the sand out of her boots afterwards. Jusca laughed at the human’s response to Elaaden.

“I can look up the krogan colony. Still got my cousin there.” Jusca suggested and Cerise told her to go ahead. Any leads they could acquire before they arrived, the better.

“Let’s use what we can. Anxo!” Cerise yelled as the salarian came scrambling in. “We’re going to Elaaden to rescue a kidnapped angaran child. Just me and Jusca. I think we can handle this. Hold down the fort while we’re gone.” He nodded and blinked his eyes in a rare show of nervousness.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the boss.” Jusca patted Cerise’s head as she snorted at the patronizing gesture.

“Perhaps a sniper?” His voice was wobbly but he always worried for Cerise when she and the others had to go out. He was thankful that Cerise had promoted the others as if anything happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to command the mercenary forces like she could. There was a spark she had that brought the mercenaries to her, and a steadfastness that Anxo knew he lacked. The tiny human was someone who inspired loyalty in the men and women that followed her, even if she had a ruthless streak.

“Nowhere to hide a sniper on Elaaden. Too flat and open. No trees and those rock formations are dicey at best to set up in.” Cerise reminded him as he sighed. The two mercenaries suited up and got into the shuttle. Cerise griped about Lister being on a honeymoon, it was left to Cerise to pilot the shuttle. She hated flying the damned thing, those memories of the initial contact with the Scourge liked to surface at annoying times. Distractions while flying had the potential to be fatal, which annoyed her when her brain clicked over to the memories. The trip to Elaaden took only a few hours, with Jusca reviewing their information.

“I hate kidnappers. Pieces of varen shit.” Jusca snarled as she saw the picture of the angaran child. She had a pretty blue face that had big eyes full of smiles. The two women felt murderous rage at thinking of the people who kidnapped the little one. Jusca’s cousin returned her call with information while they were entering Elaaden’s atmosphere.

“Yeah. The scouts saw a group of humans and a turian or two arrive with an angaran child. We found it suspicious but no one would take us seriously if we did report it. Morda was about to send you an email about it, we don’t want that kind of trouble or blood our hands. We also don’t need a war with the angara, hell, none of us need that kind of war with each other.” Jusca nodded as he sent her the nav point for where the kidnappers were last seen. Cerise flew the shuttle close to the site but far enough away to avoid suspicion. In an area with no shade tree or rock formation to offer refreshing shade. Just miles of desert and sand. Lots of sand.

“Balls, it’s hot.” Cerise grumbled as they left the shuttle. Jusca snorted at the griping.

“No different than Tuchanka.” Jusca joked as they headed towards the kidnapper’s lair. It was about a mile hike, but Cerise had come prepared with a fully upgraded life support system. That and life on Kadara had adapted her body to the heat, just Kadara’s was more of a moist heat. Elaaden’s heat was dry and full of sand. Cerise hated sand. _I’m going to need three showers to get all of this off me._ They paused once they reached an outcropping of rocks with a small shade tree. Cerise breathed a sigh of relief from being in the shade and scoped out the area. The nav point was a mile away from their location, they needed to scope out the area to check on defenses and such. Cerise spotted a building under a large cliff face.

“They’re in the shade at least. Under a rock formation. I see the kid. Ugh, I also see that lowlife that used to be with the Sabers.” Cerise remembered him as having a particularly nasty cruel streak. Morrison didn’t stay with the Sabers long, not after he tried to sneak into Outcast headquarters. The jackass was lucky he escaped when he did, Kaetus wasn’t known for being a forgiving turian.

“Morrison?” Jusca asked incredulously. She thought Sloane had run him off for the sneaking into Outcast headquarters, the jackass must be getting desperate if he resorted to kidnapping. Jusca hated that they had to spare the child, her dark green eyes lit with murderous outrage.  
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“The same. That little weasel. Well, he’ll find out what happens if you pull dumbass stunts like this.” Cerise grumbled as she felt her heart tug at the sight of the frightened angaran child. She cowered in the corner by the window, clutching her knees to her chest. Cerise saw the child rocking herself and felt a primal urge to destroy Morrison. Cerise had one soft spot and that was children, she loved them, always had. On the Citadel and on Earth she’d spend time with orphaned children and help out with chores and such at the local shelters. Morrison didn’t realize it, but he’d just put a big ass bullseye on his back by targeting a child.

“What will we do if they threaten the kid?” Jusca looked at her boss. Those eerie eyes looked back at her, glinting like steel in the Elaaden’s sunlight. A shiver slithered down Jusca’s spine as she saw the contained rage in Cerise’s eyes.

“Then we slaughter them and leave their remains for the scavengers. Damn what Evfra said.” The hostility radiated from Cerise but she had plan in mind to avoid killing the kidnapper. Evfra wanted them alive but she could only promise him that if the child remained unthreatened. Cerise would not hesitate to slaughter him and everyone in the building if they thought to harm the little girl. “Let me use my cloak. I’ll get in as close as I can. You’ll need to set off one of their eezo canisters. It’ll create a panic so I can slip in and deal with Morrison.” She pointed out the canisters to Jusca, who nodded as she saw them. Krogan had much better vision than humans did, so she didn’t have to rely on binoculars. “I’ll grab the kid while everyone is distracted and then when I get out of range, use a concussive shot to knock Morrison out.” Cerise told her plainly.

“Risky as hell boss. And what about the rest of his guys?” Cerise blew out a breath as she knew what they’d have to do about the others.

“Kill them. We were only supposed to bring in one kidnapper, not them all. Though I won’t complain if Morrison gets a little roughed up in the fight.” Cerise’s tone was frosty and a smile crept onto her lips. Jusca shivered at the emotion in Cerise’s eyes, they were flat and glittered with pure hatred.

“Let’s do it.” Jusca pulled out her sniper rifle and got it sighted on the canister. Cerise initiated her cloak when she got within sight range of the place. Her strides ate up the sand as she scurried across it, and pressed herself to the side of the building without being spotted. Her heart thudded in her ears as she listened for the lookouts. She heard the child crying out in Shelesh, and it broke her heart and she needed to be methodical in extracting the kid. Cerise carefully crept around the lookouts, Jusca saw the air shimmer behind the lookouts, it was miniscule but she was trained to look for those movements. Her crosshairs were set on the canister. The door to the prisoner’s room slid open with a soft hiss, and she pulled the trigger. The explosion rocked the building, and chaos erupted. Eezo flash froze the two guards standing next to the canister, and the others scrambled to determine where the shot came from.

“Sniper!” One yelled as they dove for cover. Cerise made her move dropped her cloak. She stood in front of the child as Morrison raged.

“ _You!_ Get the fuck out of my business!” Morrison shouted at her. “Kill this bitch!”

“You always were an idiot Morrison. Go to hell.” Cerise snarled as she kept the child blocked by her body. “You think the Resistance would let this go? We’re here for the child, so cooperate or I’ll bloody your face with my fist until you _do_ want to cooperate.”

“Fuck you bitch.” Morrison shrieked as lunged at Cerise. She heaved a disappointed sigh, they always wanted to do it the hard way. She braced her feet against the floor and put her back and hips into the solid punch to Morrison’s solar plexus. He fell to the ground with a wheeze as his breath was knocked out of him. Cerise kicked up into his face, shattering some of his facial bones in the process, and sent him sprawling backwards.

Jusca was picking off the guards as they ran around in a clear panic. It was almost like one of those carnival games that you had to shoot the moving targets to win the prize. Jusca snorted as she took down the last guard. The little girl looked up at Cerise in a wide panic as she’d seen the woman use violence against the man who kidnapped her. The human’s tone hadn’t been pleasant, but had been cold and whipped at her like the winds she’d seen in a storm once. The human turned to face her and she saw gentle eyes staring down at her. It confused her as she’d just seen the man get his face kicked in, but now the human didn’t have any of that coldness about her. She tentatively took the hand the woman extended and was swept up into comforting arms. Her head nuzzled into Cerise’s neck as she finally felt safe. She didn’t get the weird vibes from this human that she did from the man, the woman was there to help her. She felt it in her gut. Jusca joined them and saw the child clinging to Cerise like a bur. The krogan picked up Morrison as they dragged him to the shuttle. They got to the shuttle and the kid clung to Cerise tightly as Jusca threw Morrison into the back, against some cargo crates.

“What are we gonna do about him boss?” Jusca asked as she pointed her thumb at the unconscious man.

“Omni cufflinks. We’ll make sure he understands how _welcome_ he is with us.” Cerise grinned sharply at Jusca who understood completely. Morrison had the cuffs on him in a few minutes.

“You wanna call or me?” Jusca asked as Cerise began the startup sequence one handed as the little girl refused to be put down.

“I’ll call.” Cerise murmured as the child babbled in Shelesh. Her omni-tool lit up as the call connected.

“What news do you have?” The child recognized Evfra’s voice. Her face lit up in a bright smile, and she bounced up and down on Cerise’s lap. The little girl babbled excitedly in their native tongue. _This human rescued me! Did you send her? She’s really scary but she has kind eyes! But I don’t know about the other one._ He answered and assured her this human and krogan were trustworthy. They were bringing her back to her mother. She stared up at Cerise in amazement, to think a human could be that nice.

“Are we still on target for meeting at Voeld?” Cerise asked as Evfra shook his head.

“No. There have been complications.” He cursed in Shelesh and the child scolded him for it. Even Cerise could understand that scolding tone, she bit her tongue to keep from laughing at him. “We will meet on Kadara.” Evfra informed her. Cerise looked stunned for a moment before she lifted her eyebrows in question. Surely, he didn’t mean to take the child to that pit of vipers?

“Wait, you want me to take this child to Kadara?” Cerise asked in amazement. Even Jusca looked stunned at that. “The planet full of vile outlaws?”

“If you can’t protect her from a few outlaws, then I have chosen the wrong group to become involved with.” Evfra informed her as he cut the call short. Cerise snorted at the audacity he had to insult her.

“He’s got a point.” Jusca added as Cerise groaned. She set the sleepy kid down on the seat behind her. “We do have some angara back at headquarters. They can help translate for us.”

“You’re right. Let’s go.” Cerise got the shuttle moving and pointed towards Kadara. She looked back and saw the angaran child sleeping on the seats. “Hey, take over for a minute? The kid looks cold.” The krogan nodded and assumed command from the co-pilot’s chair. Cerise got one of their emergency blankets and threw it over the tiny shivering body. Morrison was still unconscious, but breathing. Cerise almost snorted at the disappointment there. She turned back towards the pilot’s chair when the little girl grabbed her hand. Those big blue eyes stared up at her with a terrified expression that broke her heart, she knew fear and pain, and Cerise found herself sitting next to the child. She sat up and leaned against Cerise, playing with her hair. A warm feeling swamped Cerise as those small fingers drifted through the blonde strands.

“What is it with angara and my hair?” Cerise murmured at Jusca. The krogan laughed and shrugged. Cerise bent her head to let the child have better access to the golden locks. The look of amused bewilderment on her face almost set Jusca off again. The girl child fell asleep next to Cerise and had a tight grip on her armor. “Well crap.” Cerise grumbled as she scooped the kid up in one arm to it at the pilot’s chair. The landing was dicey one handed, but they landed no worse for wear. Jusca snorted as they left the shuttle with the girl tucked up against Cerise. Jusca threw Morrison in a small holding room and locked the door. She put one of the turian mercenaries in charge of making sure the scum didn’t leave.

“Did Evfra say when he was supposed to meet us?”

“A few hours probably. I don’t know where Aya is located, the angara guard that secret fiercely, but I imagine it wouldn’t take that long to reach us. Though I don’t think he’d make the trip himself, he probably sent Tresha and maybe the girl’s mother.” Cerise surmised as she looked down at the child clinging to tightly to the black armor.

“You ever wanted kids?” Jusca asked. The question hit Cerise with heavy force. The young woman had wanted children once, she loved the idea of having her own family. Fantasy was all it had been, she couldn’t have a family out here. Cerise heaved a sigh and looked at the child with a look of longing and defeat.

“Maybe once. Not anymore.” Cerise met Jusca’s eyes who understood perfectly. Jusca had the genophage to deal with in her case, and Cerise had her past. Scrambling and fighting her way to the top of the food chain left scars on a person’s heart, and Cerise would never inflict her scars on another person especially not a child. The women headed into the lounge where a few of the angaran mercenaries were.

“A child?” Anxo asked nervously as the little girl played with the angara in Cerise’s employ.

“Yeah. It was that twit Morrison.” Jusca bit out. “We put in him a holding room. Evfra wanted him alive to face trial.” Anxo narrowed his eyes as he thought back to what he knew of Morrison and it wasn’t pleasant. “I picked off his crew. Idiots kept throwing themselves into my line of fire.” Jusca grinned as the girl played some game with the angara. The little girl came over to Cerise and grabbed her hand. Surprise flickered across Cerise’s face as she straightened from her slumping position in the chair.

“Oh wait.” Cerise protested as she was dragged over to the group, much to the amusement of the angara there.

“She wants to play with you too boss.” The soldier laughed at Cerise’s confused expression. They explained the game to her and helped her play it for the first few rounds. It was a game involving rhyming and jumping on one foot. _Sounds like jump rope. Played that a lot with Colin back on the Citadel._ She smiled a little as she got the hang of it and jumped with the kid. The little girl laughed as the human bounced with her, and the mercenaries were pleased to see their boss could be kind hearted. When it suited her. Which was rare indeed, so they logged this memory in their minds.

Their doors burst open and every mercenary jumping up in alarm. The kid was pushed behind them as weapons were drawn, but Cerise held up her hand as the mother burst into the room. The child cried out for her mother and they embraced in the middle of the dining area. Murmured words of comfort and tears were shed as the two reunited. “It’s good to see some of the times we can bring some good like this to the world.” One of the angara said. Cerise rubbed the back of her neck, seeing the scene before her reminded her of her own mother.

Ellen had never understood her daughter, but she’d been patient and supportive while Cerise tried to find herself. Even when Cerise had fucked up big time and Alec had given her the option of the military or disownment. Cerise would never argue that she didn’t deserve it, but her mother had quietly watched and not said a word either way. The loss of Ellen hit her hard all over again and she turned her head. Cerise wondered what her mother would think of her now, given she was a mercenary who had done some questionable things. _Okay, it’s obviously not questionable. It was downright morally wrong, but it was either that or starve at times. I don’t think Mom would appreciate where I wound up._

“Thank you so much.” The woman told Cerise as she snuggled her child close.

“Nonsense. I’m glad you two are reunited.” Cerise said with a smile. The child reached out a hand to Cerise and she stepped forward in puzzlement. Suddenly the girl hugged Cerise and it shushed the entire room. Cerise froze in shock at the contact, she was not a hugging person. The surprised look on her face lasted only a moment before she returned the hug stiffly and stepped back. Cerise reached out and patted the girl’s head. “You be good for your Mom huh?”

“Her other mothers wanted to come, but Evfra insisted only her true mother be on the shuttle. It would have been too full otherwise.” The woman chuckled as she fought the tears again. This human had risked her life, never mind they’d been paid to do so, to rescue her child. Evfra had told her of the plan to hire the mercenaries to rescue her child, and she’d been appalled. Then she’d heard those calm and cool words that Cerise had spoken, the confidence in them, the underlying steel in her tone. All had soothed much of her worries.

“I see you found them.” Evfra’s voice rolled over Cerise like silk, and her heart began to beat rapidly. Heat curled low in her gut as she saw him walk through the door. Her reaction was instant. She internally cursed her body’s reaction to him. Months had gone by since she’d seen him, but still her body reacted like a cat in heat. _Ugh, I’m thinking in metaphors again._ The child squealed when she saw Evfra and reached out to him. She babbled a stream of words that Cerise could never hope to understand. “Yes, young one. She is the one who saved you.” Evfra nodded patiently. “I see. Yes, that is called hair.” Cerise stifled a snort as she figured out where the conversation was going. “No, I am not going to touch it. You have to ask permission.” The mother chuckled as well and looked at Cerise. The human looked confused as to the direction of the conversation.

“She’s fascinated by the hair on your head. She thinks it is colored like Aya’s sun.” Cerise grinned at the child’s honesty even as the red tinged her cheeks from the compliment. Cerise wasn’t used to plain compliments about her looks, she was much more used to comments about how she fought. Her eyes took in Evfra with the child and she saw the change in him. He normally had an edge to him when dealing with business, but the hard lines in his face softened around the child. A feeling tightened around her heart as she watched with a lump forming in her throat.

Evfra was patient with the child and her endless questions, and that sealed it in Cerise’s mind. Cerise watched the mother take her child to the shuttle. Evfra turned to her and pinned her with a stare. She felt awareness snap through her body as she stood her ground against that stare.

“We need to speak. Privately.” Confusion clouded her face for a fraction of a second before she nodded. She figured it had to do with Morrison and what his plans were for the lowlife. Her stomach fluttered as heat swamped her body. Cerise fought hard to tamp down the sensations as she needed to remain professional. It didn’t help that Jusca gave her a wicked grin and wink before she left the room with Evfra behind her. Cerise bit down on the urge to snap at the krogan.

“Anxo, Jusca. Go and take the men to have a round at Kralla’s or Tartarus on me. Umi and Kian know to put it on my tab.” Cerise told them. The group cheered as they filed out. “We can discuss it in my office.” Cerise told Evfra as she led him up the stairs and through the second floor of the building. Her office was next to her quarters, and the memories rose fresh in her mind. The flash of heat had her nipples tightening beneath her bra, aching for his touch. She cursed inwardly and clenched her jaw to rein in her wayward libido. If she closed her eyes she could still taste him on her tongue. _Goddamn it._ The door slid closed behind them and Cerise urged him towards the chair in front of her desk. She grabbed the scotch and poured herself a shot, downing it quickly. She hissed as the alcohol burned a trail down her throat.

“Now what is it you wanted to discuss?” She turned to face him and squealed as his hands reached out to grab her and yank her close. Her hand dropped the glass against the floor, sending a crystalline sound through the room. His hand grabbed her upper arm and the other dove into her hair to fist in the golden strands. Heat speared her as she found herself pressed against his body. She stared into his eyes, blazing emotion there. Her heart thudded in her chest as anticipation built inside her. Barely a moment passed before his lips sealed over hers, stealing whatever words she wanted to say. Her mind shut down as she savored the feel of his lips against hers again. Resistance flitted through her mind for an instant but the heat drove it away. This was where she wanted to be. A groan vibrated her throat as she grasped at his arms. It was like drinking water after being in the desert. His tongue brushed against her lips, demanding entry. They trembled open and she rose on her toes to press closer to him. He growled low in his chest as he lifted her onto her desk. She whimpered as he stepped between her spread thighs. His taste filled her, fresh and almost pure. His fist tightened in her hair, the pain sharp, but it merely heightened her pleasure. A bit of pain never turned her off sex, if anything, it turned her on more. Her tongue stroked against his intimately. She felt his erection pressing against her center through the fabric of her leggings. A sigh trembled out of her as she pressed closer to him.

His groan was sin itself as she sucked on his tongue. Her mind clouded with desire, body ravenous with want. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as she dug her fingers into his arms. Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders, digging in to help anchor her body.

His lips left hers to slide over the skin of her jaw. The taste of her burning like the alcohol she had just consumed. Evfra savored the feel of her in his arms again. He hadn’t intended on kissing her again, but found it was impossible to stay away. The blow as he’d seen her with the angaran child, sunshine and smiles, had knocked the breath out of him. He’d wanted her alone then, but he waited until they had a moment alone. He needed to have this taste of her. His pulse throbbed in his body as she surrendered to him.

Her head fell back with a sigh, she lost all her fight with just a kiss from him. It should have alarmed her, she was not in the habit of letting go of control. Instead, she submitted to his demanding lips. They blazed a trail to her ear and she moaned as his teeth caught the lobe, nibbling gently. Molten heat throbbed between her legs, she wanted his mouth there. Yearning coiled inside her body as she clung to him, her whole body hot to the touch. Her hips arched against his helplessly as she wanted his hand there, anything to help ease the sharp ache.

“We will have our reckoning soon.” The words whispered into her ear as a shiver slid down her spine. The wicked promise beat a dark dance inside her. The words registered as he loosened his grip on her hair and arm. Cerise slumped back against the desk, chest heaving from her rapid breaths, staring at Evfra in amazement and desire. Her breasts ached for his touch, her nipples hard points underneath her bra, and she throbbed from need. She pushed the heel of her palm to her chest as if that would slow her pulse.

Reality crashed down hard on her shoulders and she felt the embarrassed flush fill her face. She’d completely lost herself in that kiss, he was dangerous. Her promise that day, _and it will never happen again._ He threw her words back in her face wordlessly. She clenched her jaw against the battle waging inside her, she would not let him make a fool of her again. She couldn’t afford to let it happen again, she’d sworn it wouldn’t happen again.

“This can’t happen Evfra. You know it.” She hissed out between clenched teeth, fighting to get her body back under her control. She knew if he called her over to him she’d gladly go and give him her body.

“This is inevitable Eve.” He murmured as his eyes took in the sight before him. Her cheeks tinged red, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the miniscule tremors in her body, and he had tasted the desire mixed with the scotch in her. She craved him as much as he craved her. Her hair fell about her face in untidy waves, tangled from his fingers. Her lips were swollen from his kisses. He wanted to push her onto that desk and show her what she was turning away. Her center throbbed, ached, for him. He knew it as sure as he knew her pulse fluttered against her skin on her neck.

“I think this is one time I’ll skip the whole fruit of the forbidden tree thanks.” Cerise laughed drily at the overused saying. His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer. She held up a hand and shook her head. “You need to go back to Aya with those two. And take Morrison with you.” He cursed as she was right. He did need to take the mother and child back to Aya. His cobalt eyes grabbed hers as he snagged her chin to make her look at him. Her nostrils flared in a mixture of irritation and lust, he felt her pulse beating under his fingers.

“We will resolve this between us. I can’t afford distractions, and you are one.” Evfra snarled at her in warning. Cerise glared at him and tried to yank her chin away, he merely tightened his grip. “For now, I’ll leave. This is far from over Cerise.” Her name rolling over his lips almost broke her resolve, she badly wanted to give in. His lips captured hers in a quick and hard kiss, her mind barely had time to register it before he was pulling away.

“We have nothing to resolve Evfra. Stay on Aya and I’ll stay on Kadara.” He glared at her as he stalked out of the room, and she heard the shuttle power up outside shortly after. Cerise let out a shaky breath as she slid off the desk. Anticipation and dread roiled in her stomach as she went through the scenario in her mind. One hand idly rubbed against her upper arm as she shook her head. Cerise chewed on her bottom lip, still swollen from his kiss, and cursed at herself. Her fist slammed down on the desk, jostling everything, as she looked out the window.

“There is nothing to resolve. What a load of crock.” Cerise grumbled at herself. She ran a hand over her face in irritation, as she tried to get her treacherous body under control. That man had too much influence over her body for her comfort, just a look could set her nerves on fire. Curses freely spilled from her lips as she headed to her quarters to wash the smell of him, that heady floral smell off her clothes. If only the taste of him could be purged as easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by the lovely [Hashtag-sarahsart](http://hashtag-sarahsart.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!
>
>>  
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>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/NCtCPdb)  
> 
> 
> The 'reckoning' will be in a few chapters. I'm gonna give these two some angst first. So be forewarned the next chapter gives some pain to this duo. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise has survived worse than this in her life, right? Maybe not. A shuttle crash on Havarl pretty much tops the list of things she does not care to repeat in her life. 
> 
> A look into how Evfra feels about the human mercenary, and the Moshae overheard them? Uh oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I switched it up to Breaking Benjamin songs. Heavy metal/rock seems to be Cerise's genre of music. I warned there would be some angst.

“What kind of crap is this?” Cerise asked Anxo as he handed her the report. The salarian winced as he knew what the report said. He knew it would make her angry, but there was nothing he could do about it. She was needed for an escorting job. “Escorting weapons to Voeld? This is crap and you know it Anxo. Give it to Jusca or Lister or even Trixa.”

“They requested you specifically Cerise. It says so.” Anxo pointed out. Cerise grumbled as she looked at what the papers. It was ridiculous that she was supposed to be going on an escort mission, what the hell was she escorting? She crossed her arms and grumbled to herself, but she’d take the job. The Serpents were still well supplied in jobs, but it would never do their reputation good to turn down the Resistance. The only alien organization willing to work with them in this galaxy.

“Fine. But fuck do I _hate_ Voeld.” Cerise complained as she suited up in her armor. Anxo chuckled to himself as his boss complained and cursed as she picked out her weapons. It was routine by now. Anxo would give her a report she didn’t like, and she’d bluster about until she got it out of her system. Voeld was not Cerise’s favorite planet in the galaxy. Though Anxo didn’t know which one she hated more: Elaaden or Voeld. She bustled into the transport and fumed silently as the startup sequence began. The shuttle hovered into the air and set off for Voeld. Cerise grumbled and complained on the shuttle as she set her course. The shuttle hit the winds of the blizzard and began to shake as it was battered. The blizzard was still as bad as she remembered, it took extra concentration to bring the shuttle down. _Fuck it’s cold._ “Ugh.” The grunt was her response to Voeld.

“That was prompt.” The base commander commented as Cerise walked up. She got a grunt out of the human which was more than last time the mercenary had been to Voeld. “The weapons shuttle went missing.” She showed Cerise where the cargo shuttle went missing on the map projected in the center of base operations, and gave her best guess as to what happened to it. It was always kett or Roekaar, neither of which Cerise particularly cared to tangle with. Cerise thought it over and accepted the changed parameters. She got into her own shuttle, blasting the heat, and went to the location to scan for evidence.

“Well, this doesn’t look good.” Cerise murmured as she leaned back in her seat. The pattern matched a kett attack, but Cerise didn’t remember getting any warnings about activity from the base. Another shuttle appeared and requested comms. The hair on the back of her neck rose in alarm and her fingers tentatively brushed over the communications channel.

“Identify yourself.” Those words she knew in Shelesh. Cerise rolled her eyes as she answered she was running a mission for the Resistance. “ _Vesagara._ ” Was the response as Cerise rolled her eyes at the Shelesh name she had heard Roekaar call her people before. Her fingers flew over the console as she assumed the other shuttle was Roekaar. The kett attack ship appeared out of a FTL jump in front of the two shuttles and Cerise gave out a cry of alarm. The tiny shuttle she was in wasn’t made for combat, it was just for transport. No way she could handle a tangle with the kett _and_ Roekaar. Heart thumping in her ears as she saw the ship approach them on her window screen.

“Shit!” She hit the buttons and readied her shuttle for escape. The direction didn’t matter at that point, getting away from those kett and Roekaar was. She opened her comm back to Anxo. “Anxo! I’ve got kett on my tail. May take me a while to get back in touch with you. Comms going black.” Cerise would cut comms to ensure she couldn’t be tracked that way. The salarian’s heart jumped in his throat as he heard her message. Jusca jumped up in alarm, ready to go after Cerise. “Might have Roekaar too. Evfra’s going to owe me triple for this mission at this rate.” The laugh was dry as her shaky fingers flew over the console to maneuver the shuttle away from the kett. The Roekaar attacked the kett and Cerise used that as a prime opportunity to get the hell out of Dodge. The communication line went dark and her crew shouted in worry.

Cerise snarled as she saw the line go dark, but she had bigger fish to worry about. The navigation was choppy with the tendrils of the Scourge reaching towards her like some dark sea god from the old sea tales. The epitaph she spat out was vicious and summed up the situation very well. _Fuck, I need to go to FTL. I can’t land with those assholes targeting me._ Cerise tapped the buttons on the console and her shuttle went into FTL. The jump lost both Roekaar and kett, but the construct that rose in her view was just as ominous. The Nexus was right in front of her.

“Fuck me sideways! Of all the shitty luck!” Cerise snarled viciously. Two shuttles came out to greet her.

“Identify yourself.” The metallic inflection in the voice told her she was speaking to a turian. _Don’t recognize his voice from the revolt. Though it does sound nice._ She snorted and got her comm line open.

“I’m only passing through. Got cornered by Roekaar and kett. I just want to get out of this space.” Cerise told them. Suddenly a voice came over the line.

“Cerise?”

“Well hell, it’s you Jake! Yeah, it’s me. I didn’t mean to wind up in Nexus space. Had a little bigger issue to worry about.” Cerise told her old security buddy.

“Jesus Christ Ryder. Kett and Roekaar? Don’t worry. We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks.” Cerise grumbled as she got the shuttle out of Initiative space. She looked at the huge station and felt a pang of wistfulness hit her. A feeling of what could have been washed over her, but she quickly shook it off. No use reminiscing about shit that could have happened. She imagined the Nexus wasn’t doing so well, the arks hadn’t shown up so they had no Pathfinders. It had been close to eight months since they’d landed in Andromeda.

“Take care Ryder.”

“You too. Be safe.” She left the space and the security detail went back to the Nexus and reported an angaran shuttle passing through. Cerise jumped into another system and breathed a sigh of relief, slumping back into the pilot chair.

Cerise didn’t even see the ship until it was too late. The ship had advanced cloaking that her radar and scanner couldn’t pick up. She opened her mouth to let out a scream or curse but it was no use, adrenaline roared through her blood as her pulse thundered in her ears. Her mouth went dry as she watched the ship’s main guns power on. She barely dodged the first shot and her instincts told her this was a foe to be wary of. Every fight or flight instinct had her wanting to run, when she normally fought. She turned her comm on to signal for help. Her communication line blinked for Aya but she didn’t have time. Her hand accidentally brushed it as she set the shuttle up for evade protocols and Evfra’s voice came out of the speaker.

“Eve.”

“Kinda busy now.” Cerise snarled as her hands flew over the console. Evfra looked at the communication device as did his lieutenants. They never heard that tone of voice from the human, ever. She sounded _scared,_ and this was a woman who normally went toe to toe with fiends without flinching.

“I need a report about that weapons cache.” Evfra told her. Cerise rolled her eyes and dodged the attack from the ship. The curse left her lips before she could stop it. She knew she wouldn’t be able to dodge another attack, her shuttle was already at its limit. It was a simple transport shuttle, it was not built for fighting and it certainly didn’t have any weapons.

“There won’t be a report coming.” Cerise murmured quietly. Her eyes stayed on the ship as it powered up for another attack. It was sticking to her tail like glue and she knew escape was impossible. The best she could manage would be to minimize damage and land on the planet below her. Her scans showed her the planet was Havarl, and it was considered the angaran home world. “It’s been good working with you and the Resistance.” Cerise told him as her thoughts raced through her mind. She wasn’t so sure this was one she could walk away from. Her hand went to the extra harness for the pilot’s seat and buckled it in. A sense of calm came over her as she settled at the pilot’s chair. The ship may get her, but it wouldn’t kill her without a fight. Determination lit her features as her scans showed the planet close to her.

The soldiers began to whisper amongst themselves. Evfra felt his heart stop as he heard the finality in her voice. He could hear muffled weapon fire over the comm, and his stomach dropped as he heard the unmistakable sounds of weapons firing upon her shuttle. _A firefight she couldn’t win._ He could only think that it was his fault she was there, he’d sent her on the job. Anguish swept through him as another curse broke through the silence on the comm.

“Eve…” His voice held a warning note to it. The deafening screech of metal tearing filled the room, and the alarms began to blare seconds afterwards. “Cerise!”

“Can’t talk.” Cerise’s voice was broken up by static and partially silenced by the alarms. “Havarl… Crash.” He felt fear settle into his bones, the alarms were drowning out her voice. “Tell Anxo. Oh shit!” The comm line went dead and Evfra stared at it in silence. The room was hushed as the reality sank into them. Evfra stared at the device in silence, he couldn’t accept it. He refused to accept it. She was not dead, he wouldn’t believe it until he saw her body himself. The burning in his chest scorched like a fireball as grief settled there. The soldiers around him saw the fists clenched on the table, and he bowed his head. His eyes looked up at the soldiers who were concerned, they’d grown to respect and even grudgingly like the petite mercenary with the quick humor. His fists clenched in worry and he wasn’t going to just give her up for dead yet.

“She mentioned Havarl. See if we can get a communications line open with them.” Evfra looked up at Jaal entered the room. He didn’t need this, Jaal saw too much sometimes.

“Evfra,” he began but got cut off.

“We are not discussing it.” Jaal nodded and watched his commander and friend stare into nothing while the soldiers jumped to get communication open with Havarl. His blue eyes softened at the clenched jaw and grief heavy on Evfra’s shoulders. Jaal suspected that Evfra did not feel contempt for the human woman as he liked to show in public. He would not be hit with such sadness if that was the truth.

“She will be all right.” Jaal patted his shoulder. Evfra turned his head.

“You did not hear what I heard.” Evfra murmured quietly. The only admission he’d get out of the man. Jaal saw the soldiers had cleared the room, leaving them blissfully alone.

“Tell me.” The kind words encouraged Evfra to open up. He could count on Jaal to keep it discreet and it was killing him to keep his emotions inside. Angara were free with their emotions but Evfra knew the damage that could result if his were shown about the human.

“I am worried for her safety Jaal.” Jaal nodded and leaned against the table while Evfra got his words together. “I have never let anyone get close. After the kett took my family, all my family, I swore to never cling to anything again. She…” Evfra paused to get his emotions in check, his throat was thick with heartache. “She is important. But she is a human and I am the leader of the Resistance.” Evfra ran an exhausted hand over his face. “She’s on Kadara. The leader of a mercenary group. How would the people ever trust me if they found out she was my partner?” Evfra cursed as he put a hand on the back of his head. Jaal watched carefully as his friend began to pace. “I cannot put her above my people.” Evfra clenched his fist. He remembered the picture of Cerise and her twin, the big bright smile on her face. His heart ached as he realized he wanted to see that smile on her again.

“Surely she and her company could work officially with the Resistance? The soldiers have all praised the honest mercenary company from Kadara. A change of pace from that cesspool.” Jaal suggested. A disgusted noise puffed out of Evfra’s lips as he turned his head.

“An angaran with a human? You know as well as I that the Roekaar would use that in their favor. They’d twist it into something wrong and evil, just to get more people by their side.” Evfra told him. Jaal had to concede defeat, Akksul would use Cerise to twist the Resistance’s credibility. As a contractor for the Resistance, she was tolerated by the people. Jaal could understand Evfra’s reluctance. He could also understand the pain that went with denying himself, but he could not quite understand Evfra’s complete refusal of acknowledging his feelings for the woman.

“That does not tell me how you feel.” Jaal told him as he grasped his upper arm. Evfra crossed his arms as a pained look crossed his face.

“At first, I believed it to be a passing infatuation. An attraction to something exotic” He waved his hand as Jaal waited patiently. “Then it became like an obsession. I found myself thinking about her all the time.” Evfra growled in annoyance. That had not been a pleasant revelation. “Every time she’d go out on a mission I would find myself worrying over her safety. When we would have our arguments, she was always so insolent. She challenged me as no others have, and she doesn’t see me as the rest of Aya does. She never saw me as just the Resistance leader.” Evfra murmured. “I want to know if she’s all right.” Evfra clenched his fist as a wave of apprehension slid over him. He lowered his head and put his hand over his face. Jaal patted his shoulder in sympathy.

“Do you think you might care deeply for this human?” Evfra stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. His hand shook and he shook his head in a desperate move.

“I can’t. Jaal, I can’t.” Evfra shook his head. Jaal’s eyes crinkled in sympathy as he patted his friend’s back. He didn’t know the kind of pain Evfra was going through, but it must be soul wrenching.

“You can, Evfra. You just have to let yourself. And decide if you would like to have some happiness for yourself.” Jaal patted his shoulder once more before he straightened. “I will contact Havarl. I suspect I may get farther than the soldiers.” Evfra nodded without meeting Jaal’s eyes. He was lost in his own thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pain, nerves screaming in agony, and the coppery tang of blood was all Cerise knew. She’d managed to slow the descent to Havarl but it was still a bad crash. The last shot had fried her comm systems, so she hadn’t been able to contact Havarl about her crash landing. She would be fortunate if the soldiers didn’t shoot her on sight. Luckily, she’d been able to strap herself in before the impact. If she could even call it luck. Every bone screamed at her in fury, she was pretty sure she’d broken her left arm. She couldn’t move her fingers without pain setting her entire arm on fire. That was saying something that she could feel that above the rest of the agony in the rest of her body. She could feel her face swelling and she had no doubt some of her facial bones were fractured. Warm liquid slid down the side of her face so she knew there was a cut somewhere, or multiple, on her face. _Head wounds bleed the worst._ Her legs didn’t seem to be broken, a miracle, but a rib or two might have been. Breathing was too difficult, she tasted the blood in her mouth, and figured one of her lungs was collapsed. Her chest felt like it had been set on fire with gasoline.

 _Get out Cerise. Get out so that ship can’t find you. Get out before this one explodes._ The sickly-sweet smell of fuel twisted her stomach into knots. She dragged herself out of the shuttle, just in time as it went up in a fireball. Cerise had crawled out through the busted cockpit window, the shuttle was resting on its side from the rough crash. The shuttle doors wouldn’t have worked in any event, so the busted window was a godsend. The heat singed her armor as she was thrown forward from the explosion. She landed roughly on her right arm and she screamed in pain. Cerise was certain she’d hit a tree, at least something solid like a tree. There was no dignity with these injuries. _I need to get out._ Pure adrenaline shoved her body into motion. She used her right arm to pull her body up into a standing position, barely, with everything shrieking at every motion. _Havarl, those fucking cloaking beasts. Eilochs are rare, but are still here. Roekaar, ugh, just what I need._ She heard yelling in the distance and another shuttle hovering overhead. _Well, this is where I die I guess. Wish I could see him one last time. Hear his voice one last time._ Cerise saw the angara rushing towards her, the fear on their faces. Her back turned and leaned against the tree, her right arm pulled the Eagle out of its holster on her thigh. The strength wasn’t there, her arm fell to her side with the pistol hanging. _Roekaar? Angara? Friendly? Don’t think the Resistance has a base here…_ Cerise knew the Roekaar were on Havarl, and she hissed out a breath. It had to be Roekaar.

“Milky Way?” One angaran asked as she stopped and dropped to a knee next to Cerise. Cerise was struggling to bring her pistol up at the tone the first angara had used, the angara saw the panic mixed in with the pain in the human’s rapidly swelling face.

“Yes. This is the one Jaal told us about.” Another said as he stood on the other side. Cerise didn’t recognize the name Jaal, but these angara seemed to know her.

“How did she walk out of that?” The third murmured as he saw the burning wreckage. Cerise tried to walk but the female angara placed her hand gently on Cerise’s broken arm. Cerise let out a pained yelp and the angara stepped back in surprise.

“A broken arm? Stars, we need to get her medical attention immediately. There’s no telling what other injuries she has.”

“I don’t know anything about human anatomy or physiology.” The third angara snapped.

“We just need to scan her body. She can’t stay like this.” The human mercenary tried to move again, scooting further away from them.

“Stars, you can’t walk. You’re too injured. We are not Roekaar, the Resistance contacted us about your crash. We are scientists on Havarl.”

“Ship.” Her voice was hoarse and she tasted the metallic tang of blood as she spoke.

“A ship? A ship shot you down?” The male angara demanded as Cerise nodded slowly, fire licking down her neck and back. “A kett?”

“Don’t know.” Cerise ground out and coughed up a little blood. Her throat felt as though glass shards were embedded in the sides of it. The angara got her onto an improvised stretcher. Thankfully she passed out cold on the ride to where the science outpost. Cerise came to when they arrived at their destination, and she looked around while she was still able. She was at a research lab, the terminals set on the walls beeped and had flashes of data scrolling across the screens. The language was in one that she couldn’t translate, and the text was fuzzy as her vision blurred slightly. The medic on hand grumbled about having to operate on a human, but he shut up when that name was mentioned again. _Jaal? Who is Jaal? I don’t know any Jaal. Ah crap, do I owe him money?_

“Open up the comm line.” The lead scientist called out. The medic scanned Cerise for any spinal injuries. He was surprised to see she only had a mild concussion in her head, so he removed the helmet and saw the contusions on her face. His sucked in breath almost made her laugh. There were no spinal injuries, a miracle for this human.

“Bad doc?” She gasped out as he shook his head and began to work.

“Will our ointment even work on you?” Cerise managed a tight nod, she’d had the stuff before. It stung like a hornet, a brutal whip of pain, on her skin but it would heal wounds. His scanner went to work and he grumbled off her injuries, voice laced with amazement that she could even survive, let alone make jokes. Broken bone in the arm, three fractured ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, multiple lacerations on her body, and the fractured facial bones. All of that in addition to the concussion. The woman was lucky that she didn’t have more broken bones. The medic shook his head and let the body scanner knit her bones back together. He let out a relieved sigh when she mercifully passed out a few seconds after the scanner began the painful process. She would take a long time to heal, but the worst of the injuries could be healed on Havarl. The comm line opened and the familiar voice came over the line. He listed her injuries to Jaal and told him she’d heal in time, they’d gotten to her right after the shuttle had landed.

“Evfra.” Jaal paused at the door as Evfra spoke with the Moshae. His mentor smiled gently and let the two men have their moment alone. Evfra stared at him with fear and anxiety in his eyes. “They found her. Alive.” Jaal watched as the air left Evfra’s chest in relief. “The medic forwarded me the list of her injuries. I am surprised she still lives. Her injuries are numerous. Do you want me to go to Havarl and check on her?” Evfra looked undecided but a soldier drew his attention.

“Yes. Go.” Evfra grasped his forearm firmly and it communicated all he needed to Jaal. The urge to go pounded in his heart, but he had too many responsibilities on Aya. The other man left to get the shuttle to Havarl. The Moshae heard everything and began to get curious about who the two were talking about. She’d have to find out for herself, she also had students on Havarl that could tell her.

“She hasn’t regained consciousness Jaal.” The medic informed him as he arrived. “With the extent of her injuries, I’m not sure how she lived through the crash.” Jaal nodded and the medic let him in to see Cerise. The angara had pulled off her armor and under armor suit, she was in a plain black top and black pants that clung to her legs. This was his first time meeting the human in the flesh, and he was struck by her hair. He’d known humans had that on their heads, but the color took his breath away. A golden color, not unlike the sun on Havarl or Aya. The bandages on her face made it difficult to make out her features, but with the bruising Jaal wasn’t sure he could see them anyway. Her arm was in a sling, the bone being freshly knit. The scanner had fixed her lungs and fractured ribs, but she’d still have pain from the injury.

“Thank you. I should contact her comrades.” Jaal told him as the medic pointed towards the communication center. A nervous looking salarian answered the call and he looked apprehensive. “Are you Eve’s comrades?”

“What happened?” Anxo demanded, the worry evident in his voice.

“She encountered a kett vessel while in Havarl space. She crashed onto the surface of the planet and we are caring for her here at one of our science outposts.” Jaal answered smoothly. The salarian looked conflicted and he turned to look at someone off screen.

“When will she be cleared to fly?” Anxo asked as he calmed his voice. The medic looked at the communication channel in disgust.

“Not for at least two or three days. That’s if she regains consciousness.” The medic went back to his reports as Jaal saw the salarian swing his eyes off screen again. He yelled out for someone to stop and sit down.

“While Eve is gone, I am in charge Jusca. Eve wouldn’t want you to go barging onto the planet and causing trouble.” Anxo told the krogan as Jaal watched in amusement.

“We will ensure she remains safe.” Jaal promised as Anxo nodded. “She received these injuries while on a mission for us. It is the least we can do.” Jaal looked over at the medic who avoided eye contact. Jaal understood that not everyone liked the new aliens from the Milky Way, but the medic did heal her injuries.

“I-Thank you. We will come and retrieve her when she regains consciousness. Trust me when I say that Eve will not want to stay once she is awake.” Anxo said. “She prefers being home.” Jaal nodded in understanding.

“We will send word when she does wake up.” The call ended and Jaal looked at the medic. They had some heated words and the medic grudgingly let Jaal sit by the patient. This was the woman who tore his commander and friend up inside. He wondered how she felt about Evfra, but he doubted the human would open up to him. From everything he heard, she was the type to guard her secrets and feelings viciously, as an adhi does with its territory. He wished he could see one of her famed arguments with Evfra, the soldiers told him they were legendary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pain was the first thing that hit Cerise. Pain was nothing new, but this type was. She groaned and felt a hand at her head. She swung out in panic and heard the grunt of pain as her hand hit home. As did the pain radiating up her arm as it had been her left one she’d used. She bit off a curse and struggled to open her eyes, but found the left one was swollen shut. That didn’t surprise her, she’d landed on her left side when the shuttle had crashed.

“Be at ease. Evfra sent me.” Jaal murmured and noted the stiffened limbs. Cerise looked up at him with the right eye and he was struck by her eye color. Evfra didn’t mention she had stormy eyes, and he shook himself to focus. “You are at a science outpost on Havarl.”

She only grunted in response, her throat was too raw to answer. She struggled to sit up despite the pain, only to be scolded by the medic. “Foolish human. All right. I’ll give you some of the pain killers to help you.” He gave her the shot and she swore viciously in her head.

“Anxo.” The sound was rough but Jaal made out the salarian’s name. He’d kept in constant contact with the salarian for the four days Cerise remained unconscious. That was when he found out her real name, and was told he could not reveal it.

“Your salarian friend? I will call him once we are assured of your health.” Jaal murmured softly as the woman glared up at him, her eyes filled with pained impotent fury. “They have been worried for your safety.” She would smile if it didn’t feel like her face would crack in half. Jaal called Anxo from her bedside and Anxo lit up when he saw the pained grin on his boss’s face.

“Cerise!” Anxo shouted as he saw the battered and bruised woman. Jusca shoved him out of the way as Trixa and Lister both tried to pile into the camera view.

“Boss, you look like hell.” Jusca told her as Cerise managed not to laugh.

“Don’t make her laugh you idiot. She’s in a lot of pain.” Lister told Jusca as she cuffed him on the side of the head for the idiot remark.

“She only just woke up. We can arrange a shuttle.” Jaal began when Lister shook his head.

“We’ve got it covered Jaal. Thanks for looking after our boss for us. We’ll be there in a few hours.” Lister told him. Jaal tilted his head in acknowledgement. He should call Evfra, but he usually did that when there was privacy. “See ya soon boss!” Lister announced cheerfully as Cerise rolled her right eye. The comm line went dark as the call ended.

“Is he always that happy?” Jaal asked her and she nodded. Lister was a happy guy, more so now that he and Trixa had settled down together. He was just obnoxious about it now. Cerise scooted carefully to the side of the bed, and grabbed the edge with her right arm to sit up. Jaal went over and offered her his arm, she glared at it but grudgingly accepted it. She had a petulant expression on her face as she accepted it, the reluctance clear despite her bruised face. Jaal kept his laugh to himself, Evfra had told him the human was short. He hadn’t expected her to be that petite. He would be able to pick her up with one arm, though Jaal suspected that if he tried he’d come away with a stub. Jaal helped Cerise down off the table, and let her grab him when she felt unsteady. The angara in the science outpost watched in amazement as the human managed to make it to the entrance of their outpost. She eased down into a chair overlooking the scenic jungles and watched the scenery. Jaal joined her and they had privacy for a little while.

“Evfra wanted to know when you regained consciousness. Is it all right if I call him now?” Jaal murmured as Cerise gave a nod. He couldn’t read her expression due to the damage to her face, but he saw the misery flash through her good eye. The call was answered promptly.

“Jaal.” His smooth voice rolled over Cerise like a good aged whiskey, soothing a few aches in her soul. She hadn’t realized how badly she needed to hear his voice, wanted him there. She’d cut off what remained of her tongue before she admitted it out loud. Her eye turned towards Jaal’s communication device, like an omni-tool but it was designed specifically for the angara. She saw Evfra’s face in profile and a pain stabbed her heart. She closed her right eye and leaned her head back against the chair’s seat. No use getting excited, she knew it was useless. She’d already sworn not to get involved with the Resistance leader, the two of them were just too different. Jaal got worried and leaned forward but Cerise lifted her good hand. He nodded before he leaned back and looked at Evfra.

“She’s regained consciousness. Her comrades are on their way to Havarl now.” Jaal reported as Cerise winced at a twinge in her back. Evfra sighed in relief and nodded silently to Jaal. Jaal shook his head, he did not want Evfra to see the damage done to Cerise. It might be too much for him. He gave in after the hard glare he received and turned the device to face Cerise, and he heard the quick intake of breath from Evfra. The only reaction as his face remained impassive.

“Not gonna win any beauty contests.” Her voice was rough and low from the damage. “Not like I did before.” Evfra stared at her with a mixture of amazement and annoyance, all that trauma and she still made a joke? She needed to focus on getting better, not cracking jokes. Some of his worry transformed into annoyance at her. Jaal was also impressed. “It was a kett ship.” She coughed and winced at the sharp pain in her ribs. “Just outside the system. Hit my shuttle hard.”

“Don’t speak. You can give the report when you are recovered.” Evfra bit off, it came out more harshly than intended. Cerise shook her head and clenched her teeth. She had to tell them about this ship. She couldn’t explain the absolute need to, but it was important.

“Not like regular kett ships. This was…” Cerise struggled to think of the appropriate word. “A hunter.” She struggled to speak but the words had to be said. “It had cloaking. Didn’t see it. Until too late.” Jaal looked at her with worry in his eyes. Her head fell back against the chair when she was done, a sheen of sweat on her forehead from the exertion of speaking. Jaal looked over at Evfra who nodded once and they cut the call short. He sat in silence with the human until her friends arrived. The turian and krogan rushing up onto the landing to stare down at her.

“Boss, let’s go home.” Trixa murmured as she knelt next to Cerise’s side. Seeing their boss like that, it was a hard blow on all of them. She looked frail but she managed to throw out a quip.

“I’m still better looking than Lister.” They had all paused in shock before laughter bubbled up. Even Trixa laughed, she couldn’t believe Cerise could joke in her condition. They got Cerise on the shuttle, Lister shaking Jaal’s hand the way the angara did it.

“Thanks for watching over our boss. We hate to trouble you.” Lister told the medic as well. The medic flushed and turned his head. Jaal watched as they flew off, back to the cesspool that was Kadara. Jaal looked over into the science outpost, he overheard one of the scientists talking about Cerise on the comm channel. Jaal’s eyes widened as he recognized the Moshae’s voice on the other end, just what was she up to? Calling Havarl and discussing the human, she must have overheard his conversation with Evfra on Aya. This would complicate things.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise goes back to battle some demons from her past. It's long overdue to take care of Koshak and her kidnapping plots. Who gives a crap that she just recovered from a shuttle crash? A chance to take on the bitch who gave her that scar?
> 
> Lots of fighting ahead and what was that Evfra mentioned? Their reckoning was soon?

“I’m injured not an invalid! Stop hovering.” Cerise snarled grumpily at Lister and Trixa as she walked into the lounge after being in bed for two weeks. The two were behind her, making sure she was okay. The injuries had been extensive, as she found out later, and even Cerise wondered how she’d crawled out of that window. She suspected it had to do with her strong survival instinct, she’d never have made it on Kadara without one.

“We’re just worried boss. The swelling is gone in your face, but you still look like you came out the wrong side of a fight with an eiloch.” Cerise wanted to snort but she refrained as it still hurt her ribs to do that.

“Having been in a fight with an eiloch, I can happily state I fared better in that battle.” Cerise waved it off. The aches stayed constant as she moved about the day, stuck doing paperwork. The report she’d sent to the Resistance had included everything she could remember about the kett ship. Anxo worried over her as a mother hen and she began to chafe at the restrictions. Being grounded was not her idea of a good time.

“I’ll take your word for it Cerise. How’s the arm?” Lister asked as Cerise moved it. The bones ached when she moved, but was diminishing every day. Their medic kept a close watch on Cerise and made sure she didn’t overdo it.

“There’s a call for you Cerise. From Aya, but it’s not from the Resistance?” Trixa looked confused as she saw the origin of the call. Cerise looked at Trixa with a puzzled frown and went over to the comm to take the call.

“This is Cerise.” The face that appeared was one Cerise knew, even if she didn’t know the angara who owned it. “Moshae Sjefa. What do I owe the pleasure of your call?” Her tone was respectful. This woman was revered among the angara, the ones in her company had told her about the Moshae, and Cerise knew to treat her with all the respect she was due.

“So, I finally get to meet the famed mercenary from Kadara.” Cerise tilted her head as she heard a faint hint of disapproval, but she kept her senses alert. “Jaal has spoken of you since his return to Havarl and your survival of that shuttle crash has become almost legendary.” Cerise felt a flush spread on her face and for once, was thankful that the bruises hid the blush. “I was wondering if you might be interested in accepting a job from me.” The Moshae studied her with quiet reserve as Cerise ran through the possibilities in her head.

“I’m honored you would choose us for this job. If you’d like to forward the details to us, we’ll be more than happy to run it for you. One of my trusted lieutenants can run it.” Cerise told her. The Moshae smiled at Cerise.

“This particular job requires a more delicate touch I’m afraid. I wish for your services.” Cerise reined in her rising temper, it wouldn’t do to get mad at the Moshae. Cerise took a calming breath, wincing at the ache in her ribs.

“I’m not exactly operating a full capacity right now…” Cerise scratched the back of her head with her good hand. “I’m benched until I get cleared by the medic.”

“I am unsure as to what being ‘benched’ means but I suspect it has to do with your injuries.” Moshae Sjefa looked over Cerise’s body and saw the fading bruises and the arm in the sling.

“Yes. I’m still recovering from my injuries from the shuttle crash. The medic says it may be another two weeks before I get cleared for small tasks.” Cerise informed her with a bland look on her face. Cerise couldn’t be too sure about the Moshae, after all, there would be no reason the woman should contact her. Her gut told her something was up and Cerise never ignored that feeling.

“Then it is a good thing this is a simple task then. I merely require your services to run an errand on the port. One of my students was last seen there and I’m dreadfully worried about their safety. If you would go and check on them, I’d be most appreciative.” She smiled warmly at Cerise who puffed out a breath in resignation.

“All right. As long as it doesn’t involve me fighting I think I can swing it with the medic.” Cerise said as she grasped her chin with her fingers.

“Wonderful. Please do keep me updated.” The Moshae smiled as she cut the comm channel before Cerise could say anything else.

“Well, this isn’t going to go over well with the nurse maids.” Cerise mumbled as she headed out to the breakroom to tell her inner circle about the Moshae’s task. They protested it of course, but Cerise wanted to get out and stretch her legs. “Jusca can come with me if it will make you lot feel better.” Cerise groused as the group looked visibly frustrated.

“That’s as good as we’re getting huh? I don’t know why you couldn’t just say no.” Lister complained as he tilted the chair back.

“It gets me out of the building for a bit. You know I hate being cooped up in here. Besides, Jusca is with me and I don’t go to the port without being armed.” Lister didn’t like it but he had no choice, Cerise was the boss after all. She rubbed at the back of her neck and went into Kadara port armed with weapon and information. It felt good to stretch her legs and walk, even if the twinges of dull pain radiated through her ribs. One more dosages of the medi-gel and she would be good to go.

“Why would this Moshae send you here of all places?” Jusca mused as they traveled through the marketplace. The Outcast guards eyed them suspiciously but Cerise never paid them any mind.

“Who knows? Let’s see if Umi has any information on this agent.” Cerise grumbled as she practically marched into Kralla’s Song. The asari bartender simply shook her head when she saw Cerise’s appearance. Other patrons stood and looked eager until Jusca walked in behind Cerise.

“Oh, sit down. Even with that arm she could still take all of you little shits.” Jusca growled at the bar patrons who grumbled but resumed their seats. Cerise rolled her eyes at the ceiling. _That’s going a bit too far. I could maybe take the humans and asari but not the turians and definitely not the krogan._ She slid into the empty bar stool as Umi set her usual in front of her.

“What do you want Ryder?” Umi asked as she cleaned a glass. Cerise grinned at the bartender’s bristly attitude.

“I need information Umi. I’m looking for this guy.” Cerise slid the photo over and a flash of recognition went through Umi’s eyes before they shuttered. _Interesting._ “I’m willing to pay extra for this one.” Cerise added on as a bonus, Umi winced as she knew Cerise was always good for it.

“You did not hear this from me. Your boy there, former Resistance, he went to set up shop with Koshak. Last I heard.” Umi murmured low enough for Cerise to hear. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what was going through Cerise’s mind.

“Why is it always her?” Cerise grumbled as she propped her good elbow on the bar counter. Umi shrugged and went back to cleaning her glass. “Thanks Umi. I’ll have a nice bottle of rum coming your way soon.” Cerise told her and Umi nodded. There’d also be credits they both knew, but had dealt with each other enough to not question anything. Cerise transferred the payment for the drink before the pair of mercenaries headed out of the bar.

“We’re going to get information first right boss?” Jusca looked down at Cerise who was rubbing the back of her neck.

“Yeah. Umi’s good for her information but I need to verify this first.” Cerise grumbled as she whipped out her omni-tool.

“Is this for business or pleasure?” Cerise rolled her eyes at the man’s smooth as whiskey greeting.

“Look Reyes. I’m willing to pay your fees. I need information.” She saw his eyebrows lift. She didn’t realize it was because of the bruises on her face. The urge to grin was tempting, but Cerise managed to suppress it. “Still in Tartarus?” He nodded and the two women took the elevator down to the slums. Cerise absolutely hated Tartarus, but loved the bartender there. Kian waved to them idly as they passed him by.

“So, what brings you to my corner of Kadara?” He gestured to for them to sit at the chairs. He winced as he saw Cerise’s face, the bruising was faded to the sickly yellow and green now. He wasn’t going to question it though, he valued his hide the way it was.

“Need some information. Umi’s told me this angara was seen with Koshak.” Cerise told him as she handed him the photo.

“Oh yes. Evfra told me he had gone missing. Or rather, gone rogue.” Reyes admitted to her as Cerise shrugged. “What are you doing tracking him down?”

“A job. What else? I don’t particularly want to tangle with Koshak again.” Cerise grumbled when Reyes held up a hand.

“She’s gotten bolder. Sloane’s been targeted. Word has it she’s been thinking of contacting your Serpents to deal with Koshak. For good.” Reyes saw the expression on the mercenary’s face.

“Shit.” The word hissed out between clenched teeth. “I didn’t think she’d go after Sloane’s people.” Reyes nodded as Cerise ran a hand through her hair. “I’m in no shape to take on Koshak right now. My organization is, but this is personal.” Cerise growled as she saw one of his eyebrows raised. She wouldn’t tell him and he knew it but he shrugged anyway. _Nice try Vidal._

“It’ll take time to amass resources to take her out, wouldn’t it?” Reyes added as Cerise nodded. She blew out a frustrated breath.

“This seems like I won’t have a choice. Could you verify that the angara is there?” Reyes nodded and gave her the bill. “Jesus Vidal.” He chuckled, voice husky, as he heard the outrage in her voice.

“I’m expensive but well worth it. You should know the value of good resources Ryder.” Reyes murmured as he gave her a roguish grin. No doubt that worked on every other woman, or man, he tried it on. Cerise merely gave him a mildly disgusted look.

“Fine. I’ll pay the damn fee. Put your eyes back in your head Vidal, your _charms_ don’t work on me.” She grinned at his sigh and rolled eyes. Reyes watched the two mercenaries leave and set to work to find out about the angara.

“Well, he came through. Turns out our guy went to Koshak about two weeks ago. With a business proposition.” Jusca snarled as she handed the report to Cerise. The paper crinkled as Cerise accepted it. Normally they dealt with data pads but Vidal had sent paper this time. _Annoying jackass._ Her eyes scanned the paper and disgust formed a tight ball in her stomach.

“You have got to be shitting me.” She looked up at Trixa’s concerned expression. “Not questioning Vidal, he always comes through. What I mean is, this man has decided he’ll help get angaran women for Koshak? And blame it on kett abductions?” Cerise felt the disgust roll into rage. Her hands were shaking and she knew her face was flushed. A primal urge to rip the man’s throat out clawed inside her. The rage boiled inside her at the thought of those poor innocent angaran women being kidnapped from their families, being given up for _dead,_ and all so this jackass could profit. This wouldn’t stand. This would not stand at all. _Koshak, you’ve gone beyond the line now. I’m going to bring you down._

“Are you going to tell the Moshae?” Anxo wrung his hands nervously as he watched the rage build inside Cerise. Ever since he’d found her, beaten and bloody on the verge of death, he’d known this day was coming. The day they took down that asari.

“I’m going to have no choice, am I? She needs to know, but something tells me he isn’t one of her former students.” Cerise shook her head. Anxo was inclined to agree as they headed towards the communications room.

“Hello Ryder. Have you found some information on my student?” Those cool sapphire eyes stared at her through the holographic projector.

“We both know he’s not one of your students. I verified he is with the asari Madame Koshak. He’s proposed building an association between them. She’ll offer him shelter from the Resistance and he’ll get her angaran women.” Cerise told her. The Moshae closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe in. Repressed rage was clearly defined in the older woman. “He’s going to pin it on kett abductions. So, no one will question it.” Cerise delivered the final blow and furious eyes blazed into hers.

“I see. You are, of course, going to deal with this woman.” They both knew it wasn’t a question. Cerise rolled her shoulder and turned her head.

“I will. It’ll take a week or two before I can get the resources I need to wipe her off the face of this planet.” Cerise’s voice was as cold as death. The Moshae was reminded of the biting blizzards of Voeld.

“I shall inform Evfra. He will want to know about his traitor.” Cerise nodded and drummed her fingers on her thigh. She cut the call with an irritated swipe of her hand. Fury bubbled up in her chest at the whole situation.

 _I do not appreciate being manipulated._ Cerise felt her lip curl back in a feral snarl. She wanted to punch something and would settle for a punching bag instead of someone. The medic scolded her but let her beat the fury out of her body. She’d regret it later, of that she never doubted, but the fury was too much at the moment. She rarely let her temper get away from her, but Koshak was still a sore spot.

“So, shall we gather all our men back?” Anxo questioned Cerise as she came into the office after beating the punching bag until it had a hole in it.

“Yes. Tell them to finish and then get back here. They have two weeks. We attack in two weeks.” Cerise snarled at the glass in her hand. She set it down hard on the desk, sending a crack splintering up the side. Anxo stared at Cerise with unblinking eyes until she relaxed her grip on the glass. “We’ll settle this once and for all. Gather any and all favors people owe us. Weapons, people, and influence. We get every string we ever had dangled in front of us.”

“I understand. I’ll send out the message. This won’t look good with Sloane or the Charlatan.” Anxo murmured as Cerise nodded.

“Yeah. We’ve been one to leave the politics alone, but I’m done playing fucking mind games. Sloane and the Charlatan can just fucking deal with it. We’re not attacking them, we’re settling something that got set in motion almost a year ago. We’re mercenaries, so we’ll deal with it like we do with anything that pisses us off.” Cerise grinned as Anxo sighed heavily.

“By kicking in the door?” “By kicking in the door.” Cerise grinned as Anxo shook his head as he sent out the emails to the rest of their mercenaries. Cerise used those two weeks to get back in shape from the crash despite the medic’s gripes about her pushing herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We sure we’re ready for this boss?” Lister asked as he polished his Avenger on the shuttle over to Koshak’s place. Anxo piloted the shuttle for them as he wasn’t going into the action. He still wore his black armor, in the event he _had_ to go into battle. Cerise examined her Valkyrie for damage and double checked the ammo clip. She was satisfied with it and turned her eyes to Lister. He saw the cold fury she was known for lurking in them, and he suppressed a shudder. Cerise could be fucking scary when she got pissed off. And she was _pissed_ off right now.

“Yes. We’re ready. We’ve gone over the strategy in the base. The Resistance will meet us here after we’ve gotten the kidnapped angara out.” She held onto one of the grips hanging from the ceiling as the shuttle touched the ground. The doors barely made a sound as they opened, but the sounds of battle filled in the void. The crack of gunfire was almost deafening, but it was the sound that made Cerise feel right at home. She’d seen some combat during her time in the Alliance, pirate raids and scavengers looking for a quick buck on the dig sites. Cerise gave the signal and Lister jumped out ahead of her, with Jusca right on his heels. Trixa was already set up with another sniper, picking off some of the guards and providing suppression fire when the Serpents needed to move. Cerise jumped down, wincing only slightly at the ache in her ribs, and gestured for Anxo to take the shuttle away. He saluted and got their transport out of the battlefield.

The sharp whistle of mortar fire startled Cerise. “Where the fuck did they get mortars!?” Cerise snarled as she dove behind the boulder next to Lister.

“Beats the fuck out of me! Trixa!” Lister yelled into his omni-tool. “We’re getting pinned down by fucking mortars!!”

“On it.” Came the cool reply over the comm. Trixa fixed the artillery in her crosshairs, she sent one bullet straight into the round. The resulting explosion took out everyone in a five-foot radius. “Cleared.”

“You’re the best babe!” Lister laughed as he rolled out from his cover and tossed an omni-grenade towards the cluster of humans firing on Serpents’ asari biotics. Cerise used her tactical cloak before she snuck towards the entrance. Fuck going in the maintenance shaft this time. Lister and Jusca knew how to manage the flow of battle. Trixa could handle suppression fire from her position with the other sniper. _Come on you bitch. Time to end this._ Cerise went straight in through the front door.

Grux was in the lobby giving orders and red hazed her vision as she saw the krogan. He was speaking to one of the other bodyguards when something made him turn around. Cerise stood there in her signature armor, and it was if Death was standing before him. He knew it was time and only one of them was walking away from this fight. His scaly lips curled in a gleeful snarl as he was looking forward to taking out the haughty bitch. Her omni blade crackled as it materialized on her arm. The Valkyrie was holstered on her back, but her Eagle was easily accessible. _You first._ The scar on her back ached as the krogan got his own omni-blade prepared. Jusca had told her what most krogan fear, especially younger krogan. She had told Cerise about the softened frontal plates on those krogan who hadn’t reached middle years, it was a vulnerable spot. Most krogan would falter in battle and run away before letting someone pry their frontal plates off.

“Cerise. I’m not letting you near Koshak.” Grux snarled as he slid his shotgun from its holster. Cerise noted it was a rarer Milky Way model, and dangerous in close quarters. She’d have to play this carefully if she wanted to avoid getting bullet spray to the face or torso. Her eyes flitted around the krogan and their surroundings. Tight quarters, she’d move around easily in them, but the krogan would have some difficulty maneuvering. _He does have homefield advantage though. Probably figured out a way around the tight quarters combat._ Cerise kept him in her sights always and kept her back facing the wall. Grux pulled out his shotgun and Cerise seized the opportunity. She slipped under his raised arm, knocking his shotgun up with the bulk of her omni-blade and pivoted to face his back. She bunched her muscles and jumped up onto his back, her feet digging into the armor on his back and using his tail to push herself up. He roared in anger as he tried to shake her, but she tightened her grip on his armor. Her fingers ached from the firm grip she had. Cerise was just at the right size to slid up the hump on his back and lock her elbow in the space between it and the armor. Jusca had showed Cerise the one spot near the frontal plate, the one guaranteed to pry the plate off. Cerise just had to get the angle right. The knife slipped out of her arm guard sheath and she gripped its comforting weight in her hand. Her father had given her the blade when she’d graduated from basic training with the Alliance. To think she’d be using it now, she hoped that Alec wouldn’t disapprove too much of what she was using it for. Cerise shoved the memory away and Grux roared as her blade struck the spot. The blade slipping between vulnerable skin and softened bone. Slipping through like butter. Cerise had sharpened it in preparation for this moment.

“See you in hell.” She jumped down using her weight to pry the frontal plate off, with only a dull ache in her left arm. Rage had overshadowed any other emotion and any pain she may have felt from her previous injuries. His yellow plate broke free from his skull, but was hanging by tendons on the other side. She tumbled to the floor as he screamed in pain and rage. Cerise flipped over as her heart thundered in her ears. Her Eagle was out in her hand and she fired a shot at his neck for good measure. The krogan screamed in agony as he grabbed for his frontal plate when the bullet hit his throat. The spray of blood hit her helmet and she narrowed her eyes. The thick, coppery tang of blood permeated the air as the bullet tore his flesh. She pulled the trigger once more, she wanted to make sure he’d go down in hell. The second shot hit him in his vulnerable spot. He fell to the floor, deaf and blind to everything as he succumbed to the bullet. Cerise stepped over his corpse as she made her way to the office, Koshak’s inner sanctum. Her eyes never looking back, only focusing on the front. Grux already forgotten as her next target formed in her mind. She’d only seen it once, when she’d first arrived at the brothel.

“Fuck! Damn! I knew that angara would bring us nothing but trouble!” The words were the first to reach Cerise as she reached the office in the bowels of the brothel. Koshak was scrambling around the room, throwing things into a pea green duffle bag. The soft click of the Eagle’s primer froze Koshak. The asari looked up slowly to see Cerise standing there with the deadly pistol in her grip, the barrel pointed straight at her. She wondered who she should fear more, the woman wielding it or the bullets in the gun. Her throat turned to ash as she struggled to form a coherent sentence. The blood streaked across the human’s armor was not hers, Koshak suspected it was Grux’s. She’d warned the arrogant bastard not to tangle with Cerise, there was a dangerous air about the woman. Koshak heard the stories about what happened to people who fucked over Cerise and the Serpents, she’d been wise to heed the stories. “Cerise.” Fear settled like a stone in the asari’s stomach. Death had come for her. Koshak had never thought Death would have the face of an angel but the eyes of the devil.

“The angara, where is he?” Cerise snarled. Koshak winced at the whip of her icy fury.  
“He’s already made his escape.” Koshak admitted bitterly.  
“Not likely. Your place is surrounded.” Cerise told her. “Try again.” Koshak curled her lips into a sneer as she faced the mercenary.

“He heard the Resistance was looking for him. He just left the building.” Koshak told her. Cerise pulled up her omni-tool without breaking eye contact with the asari. She barked out some orders and lowered her arm.

“It’s time to end this Koshak.” Cerise told her. Koshak held up her hand and Cerise registered the flash bang. The metallic ringing filled the room as the mercenary pulled the trigger and shot it out of her hand. It exploded next to the asari, blinding her and rupturing her ear drums. She fell to her knees as the room spun and spots danced in front of her eyes. Cerise walked over, her own ears ringing, with spots dancing in front of her vision, and put the pistol to Koshak’s head. The asari went deathly still as she felt the cold metal against her skin. Cerise pulled the trigger and left the body in the office as she headed to the back. She didn’t look back but felt some measure of grief and relief at the death of the asari. The feelings were complex, a death would always cut at your soul. Cerise figured her soul was scarred enough to take a few more, especially ones that meant Koshak was off the streets.

The girls shivered in their rooms, waiting to see their fates. Cerise saw there were fewer than last time and cursed Koshak’s cruelty yet again. She herded the women outside and saw the battle had ended. She’d get a toll from Jusca later but they had business to settle first. Trixa and their other sniper walked up as Anxo landed the first shuttle. Their other pilot was already loading up the others to bring them back to headquarters for medical evaluations. Cerise turned to the women who were still frightened as the mercenaries hustled around her.

“I need Milky Way and angara separated.” Cerise’s clear, firm voice rose above their timid shrieks and worries. The species separated and Cerise instructed the Milky Way to go with Trixa and Anxo. They’d get them settled at headquarters until other arrangements could be made. It would be tight quarters for a few days until they cleared it out. Sloane had agreed to take back the women taken from her outfit and any that wanted to join her, and the Charlatan had also agreed to take any who wanted to join. The rest would be arranged elsewhere. The angara stared at Cerise with fear in their eyes as the shuttles left. Lister and Cerise were the two Serpent leaders left, and they had a handful of other soldiers with them in case trouble started.

“Where is he?” Cerise growled as she saw Lister lugging a struggling figure on his back. The lieutenant dropped the angara at her feet and she planted her boot on his chest. Several of the angaran women began yelling at him in Shelesh. “Listen up. An old buddy of yours is coming to pay you a visit.” Cerise said in a syrupy sweet voice, which contradicted with the malice glittering in her eyes. He saw the blood on her visor, and knew she’d killed today. He also knew she had no compunction killing another and that sent panic wailing through his system. He began to struggle and beg. “Oh? You want _me_ to grant you mercy?” The grin on her face was anything but comforting. He was reminded of a deadly predator as she chuckled at him. “Listen up you piece of shit. I don’t show mercy. You’re lucky Evfra told me to leave you for him.” Cerise grinned at the obvious distress the angara was going through. _Good. Kidnapping women and forcing them into this life? You deserve my blade shoved in your fucking chest._ Cerise gave her word the man would be taken alive, and she wouldn’t go back on her word. She’d let him have this one. Excited murmurs went through the women as they heard Evfra. They didn’t realize the human knew the Resistance leader.

The hum of shuttle engines broke the relative silence of the area. “Right on cue.” She pushed down with her foot as the man began to struggle. “Oh, you aren’t going anywhere.” Cerise yelped as he stabbed her leg with a knife. The women shrieked as he slid out from Cerise’s boot. “You son of a bitch.” The snarl sent fear crawling down his spine. The blade still stuck in her leg when she lunged for him. Her hand closed on the back of his clothing, his _rofjinn,_ and she brought her uninjured knee up into his face. The satisfying crunch of armor against bone brought a grin to Lister’s face as Cerise let him go. He screamed as he grabbed for his face. His nose leaked deep blue blood after. “Now _stay_ down. Or I’ll reconsider my word to Evfra.” Cerise growled as she stood, cursing as the pain radiated upwards from the blade. She knew the worst thing to do was remove the blade, she’d get the medic to look at it when she got back to headquarters.

“Is this the traitor?” Cerise turned and saw Evfra walking up with Jaal at his side. Cerise gestured towards the howling angara that clutched at his nose. Evfra ordered the men to take him away and then he turned to the women, who were being seen to by the female soldiers. “How many didn’t make it?”

“There’s no telling with her.” Cerise admitted and saw her own shuttle arrive. Trixa hopped out with Lister going up to greet her, the other soldiers piled on. “She’s dead. In case you were wondering.” Cerise added as she saw her crew pause in their walk. Jaal looked down and saw the knife.

“You are injured.” He murmured in concern but Cerise waved it away. Evfra turned his head down and he curled his lips into a snarl.

“Why are you still standing?” Cerise was startled by the demand and even Jaal jumped. Cerise opened her mouth and closed it like a fish. Cerise unhooked her helmet to yell at him properly and her own eyes blazed with fury.

“You think _that_ would put me down!? A shuttle crash didn’t knock me on my ass for more than a few weeks. A pitiful knife in my calf? That’s hardly worth noticing.” Cerise retorted as she saw something in his eyes. She bit down on any further comments as that emotion was borderline concern. Cerise didn’t need anyone worrying about her, even as a little voice called her a liar. _You like it when he worries. Even if he shows it in blustering rage._ Cerise told her stupid mind to shut its trap as she glared up at Evfra.

“Evfra, we need to see to the traitor.” Jaal murmured as he grabbed the man by the back of his clothing and hauled him up. The man swung wildly and Cerise didn’t see the blow coming. She didn’t fall but the back of his hand connected solidly with her face. Trixa ran forward as everyone else paused in shock. Cerise was shocked that he’d gotten a hit in and cursed her impulse to take the helmet off. Even the traitor paused as he realized who he just hit.

“Boss.” Trixa held out her hand as she saw the ferocity of Cerise’s snarl. Her eyes cut the angaran man and he begged Jaal to take him into the shuttle before the human killed him. Jaal dragged him away and Trixa stared at Cerise’s injured leg. “You need medical attention.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be there soon.” Cerise told Trixa. The turian looked concerned, her mandibles twitching slightly, before she left to go prepare the shuttle. Cerise turned to Evfra, the stinging in her cheek pulsing in her face. The swelling was already noticeable, she’d likely have a black eye before nightfall. _Again._

“The Moshae sends her regards.” Evfra told her as she stilled. Cerise fought the urge to curse and nodded once. Cerise refrained from her judgment on the older angaran leader, she didn’t like being manipulated but Koshak had needed to be taken down. At least she did it instead of Sloane, Sloane would have razed the place and never looked back to the victims.

“Good. Take care of the women. Hopefully you can reunite them with their families. Until next time Evfra.” Cerise gave him a flamboyant bow full of mockery. His blood boiled at seeing the disrespect but it warred with his need to make sure she was okay. His duty to his people overruled it all and he turned to go. Cerise also turned her back to him as she headed towards her people, her responsibilities.

Evfra promised himself this was far from over. The day of their reckoning would be upon them soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Koshak has been put to rest. Yay! The next chapter is the long awaited... *drum roll* SMUT chapter. Evfra wasn't lying when he mentioned they would have their reckoning soon.


	11. 11*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited smut chapter. Evfra sends Cerise on a mission to an abandoned science outpost on Havarl. She expected to find a scientist to escort, but instead she finds the Resistance leader awaiting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's time for the smut! This entire chapter is just smut. So if you don't like smut, just don't read this one. It's entirely smut after the first three or four paragraphs. It's not that crucial to the ongoing plot, so you can avoid if you don't like reading smut.
> 
> [Squarerootofdestiny](http://squarerootofdestiny.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr did the artwork for this chapter!
>
>>  
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>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/N2vQjsc)  
> 

“The Collective seems to be targeting the Outcasts more lately.” Anxo told Cerise as they sat in her office. Two months had passed since the business with Koshak. It hadn’t been too bad around the Serpents headquarters. The paltry wound at her leg was all healed up. The situation with Koshak was all wrapped up, they’d scuttled the building and then blown it up. The credits from the salvage was given to the surviving women who used it to make their way back to the Nexus or other accommodations. While Cerise worried for them, she had her own company to worry about. They’d lost several good people in the fight against Koshak’s idiots. They’d had to start recruiting to fill the ranks and newbies always took some time to break in.

Cerise had been thinking about her feelings regarding the Resistance leader in the lull. They were a jumbled mess, especially when the man seemed to blow hot and then cold. If their emails exchanged were any indication. He’d be describing Aya to her in one email, and then berating her for how her company had handled a job in another. Cerise had gotten a headache just from dealing with that email. She’d had some time to figure out where she stood and she did not like it very much. It wasn’t simply desire, that she could deal with easier. This jumbled mess was more than just lust burning along her body, though there was a healthy dose of that too. It was that he seemed to be a good match for her, in every way. Physically, she had no doubt he could best her in hand to hand combat, and mentally. He stimulated her mind and she enjoyed the arguments they had. Their heated arguments had an underlying sexual tension to them now, but they were too stubborn to acknowledge it. She puffed out a breath as she felt her heart softening, she had too much at stake to let it get sentimental. Cerise snapped herself back to attention and looked over at Anxo.

“The Charlatan is cutting at Sloane. I bet in another month or two he or she will make a move.” Cerise commented as she read the reports from Lister. They heard through the local angara that the Moshae had been kidnapped by kett, and that one of the Resistance’s own turned her over. Cerise’s blood boiled just thinking about it, and Evfra had contacted her about the traitor. She remembered the heated argument with Evfra over it.

“There’s no way I can get into see Sloane. She hates me.” Cerise reminded him. “After all the smack downs I’ve given her little outfit? I wouldn’t doubt if there was a shoot first ask questions later policy on my head.” Evfra had scoffed at her logic. “Anyway, she’s not going to let me stroll up and get a prisoner out. No. Talk to Vidal. He’s more under the radar than I am.” Cerise waved her hand in a dismissive move. She hated passing on a job, but she wasn’t about to walk into Sloane’s throne room and demand an angaran prisoner. No matter who it was, let Evfra fume at her dismissal. She had her own hide to think about as well. Cerise had to live on Kadara, and he didn’t. That made all the difference, there was no way Sloane would leave her alone if she snuck a prisoner out of the headquarters.

“You think they will?” Anxo’s voice pulled her out of the memory once again. _Good going Cerise. Getting all maudlin, are we? You need to get laid._

“Oh yeah. These attacks? They’re designed to bleed Sloane dry. Thin out her herd of recruits, use up her credit stash, and make her paranoid.” Cerise told Anxo. The salarian did see her point, but he didn’t think the Charlatan would act alone.

“Hey boss. You got a call from Aya again.” Trixa called from the other room. Cerise pushed back from her desk in irritation. _Again? I swear if it’s about the Moshae again…_

“It better not be Evfra wanting me to get that traitor out again. I told him I can’t get access to Sloane’s headquarters. Not without starting a turf war we can’t afford.” Cerise grumbled. They’d just reassembled from their last big fight, it had taken a toll on the organization. Their toll may have been considered low by most standards, but Cerise felt the wound deep. No matter what others made of her, she had cared deeply about her men.

“Oh, we could take the Outcasts.” Lister told her as she passed by the room he was in.

“Of course, we could. Our soldiers are more trained and specialized than hers are. Bunch of useless thugs, except Kaetus. I don’t want to put more blood into the soil than is already there over some useless bit of land we have no interest in running.” Cerise opened the comm channel. “Evfra.” Her eyes were expressionless as she stared at the angaran man, to mask the fluttering pulse.

“Eve. I’m sending mission parameters to you. This is an easy job but one I can’t spare my own men for.” Evfra told her.

“As per the usual I’m sure.” She couldn’t resist the snicker at the fury snapping into his eyes at her dry joke. “Fine, fine. We’ll look it over and get back to you.” Evfra nodded and ended the call.

“Weird. Normally he doesn’t let the bait lie there.” Trixa commented as Lister agreed.

“Who knows? The Moshae kidnapping has taken a big toll on the angara. Especially the Resistance.” Cerise reminded them. There was no argument for that, Trixa had seen how the angara in Kadara reacted to it. The traitor turning the Moshae over was kept hush from everyone, and only the inner circle of the Serpents knew as well as the upper echelons of the Resistance.

“A meet and greet mission?” Cerise grumbled as she sat on her bed that night. She rubbed a hand through her hair as she read over the report. “Well, it’s not for another week. I need to get out in the field again and this would be perfect.” She grinned as the report suggested some of the people that would be good for the mission. Her name was down as one, as was Anxo’s. The salarian would never leave Kadara, he despised field work. None of the others gave him any crap because he kept their books balanced, paperwork filed, and kept them supplied in what they needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The others didn’t argue when Cerise went off for the meet and greet. Her leg didn’t plague her anymore and she was able to get the edge on Jusca during one hand to hand combat match. The meeting was in Havarl at one of the less populated science outposts. Cerise figured she’d escort some scientist to Voeld or something, since outsiders weren’t allowed to visit Aya. The shuttle touched down at a clear landing pad and she slipped out. It had been a miracle to find a clear spot, the jungle practically overwhelmed everything. It was as if nature was furious and getting revenge for every bit of technology on the planet.

Every instinct went on high alert as she didn’t see any power in the lab. The veins choked the windows and some of the doorways, she spotted one open path. The entire place raised the hairs on the back of her neck. _This better not be a setup, I swear I may just find Aya and kick his ass if it is._ Her hand went to the pistol at her side, fingers closing around the butt of it. Her footsteps barely made any noise as she approached the two-story building. Every sense was on high alert, her eyes scanned the area but didn’t detect any other life signs. The area appeared undisturbed, except for the native flora. She also didn’t remember seeing any other shuttles or activity when she’d landed.

The door opened with a low hiss, and Cerise scanned the room from her angle. She didn’t see any terminal on, and the jungle was intruding on the lab. Thick coils of vines broke through glass to curl around the once active terminals. Mother Nature was a force unto herself, and woe be to anyone who thinks to overcome her. She kept her back to the wall as she slipped inside, weapon pointed down in front of her for easy firing if an enemy appeared. The movies always had it wrong, going in with the weapon up was the best way for the enemy to grab the weapon and disarm you. Cerise had seen a squad mate back in the Milky Way lose his life that way, and she learned from his mistake.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a nervous shudder went down her spine. Adrenaline pumped through her system, blood pounded in her ears. She was ready for a fight, but she couldn’t sense any presence beyond hers. Cerise was reluctant to use her scanner since that could possibly give her away, though if they missed the noisy shuttle landing then they were useless to begin with. She slid along the wall slowly, until the room was cased. Her shoulders slumped in a mingling of disappointment and relief but a thought worried at the back of her mind. Why was she called here to the middle of nowhere in Havarl? No, not… The single thought raced across her mind as panic set in.

She called Anxo in frantically, thinking someone was attacking her base with her gone. He assured her that nothing was out of the ordinary but he’d send a patrol around the headquarters and assign a lookout. They ended their call and she leaned against the wall. Relief swamped through her that the base was safe, but what the fuck was going on? Why the hell was she called out to the middle of fucking nowhere on Havarl? She holstered the Eagle pistol on her thigh as she crossed her arms thoughtfully. Suddenly, the panel behind her slid open and she tumbled backwards. The shriek echoed off the walls as she landed against a hard, warm wall. An arm snaked around her waist while the other grabbed the wrist going for her pistol. Her heart thudded in her ears as she fought the grip of the intruder.

“I told you we’d have our reckoning.” Cerise snapped her head to the side as she recognized that voice. Silver eyes snapped with fury as heat churned in her stomach. Whether from anger or lust, she wasn’t sure. Her helmet blocking her face from him, but she saw the self-satisfied smirk on his face. There was something in his eyes that sent a shiver through her. A hungry look that reached deep within her body.

“I could have killed you!” Cerise snarled at him in response to the molten heat spreading to her core. His scent reached her through her helmet, it reminded her of a jungle she’d been in on Earth once. Hot and heady, she could become drunk off it. His dark chuckle had her hackles rising, even as she felt it throb between her legs. The want pulsed through her, being near him always made her knees weak.

“Unlikely. You were unaware of this room despite the thorough sweep of the other room you performed.” Evfra told her as he pulled her arm back, away from the pistol. This position arched her back. Her fist tightened against his grip, and she tugged uselessly. The fact she was helpless sent a delicious thrill down her body. She bit her lower lip to keep from trembling against him. “I warned you we’d deal with what is between us Cerise.”

“There is nothing between us!” Cerise protested, the lie absurd to her ears. Her body burned whenever she spoke to this man, and she couldn’t count how many nights she’d lain awake at night touching herself, wishing it was his hand instead of hers. His hand slid down to the snap of her arm guard, with a quick flick of his wrist he opened it. She tugged at her wrist, but his grip held her prisoner. Her heart thundered in her chest as she rolled her hips back in an unconscious move. Evfra brushed a thumb over her exposed wrist, felt the fluttering pulse beneath the skin. His blue eyes caught hers with amusement in their depths while hers snapped with lust and anger warring for dominance.

“Oh, but there is a fire burning between us. I sought to ignore it but that merely fanned the flames.” He spoke softly against her helmet. “You burn as I do Eve.” She shook her head helplessly, she couldn’t give in to this. Her dreaded pulse betrayed her as it beat erratically under his fingers. Her body burned from the words, ensnared by that voice. Something inside her told her that she’d never get him out of her heart if she did. “Hmm. You are quite stubborn.” She glared at him through the helmet. The under-armor suit was tight enough that she felt her pulse throbbing between her thighs. He abruptly let her go and tapped a few keys on the door. The soft green light turned red with a soft click, indicating it was now locked. Shock rocked her system as she turned, but excitement rushed through her.

“What? Did you just lock us in here?” Cerise growled as she whirled on him. He had his back turned to her and she clenched her fists. “Evfra. Let me out.” She strove to keep her tone calm as she spoke. Desire made her voice husky as she strove to keep herself in check.

“I don’t think so.” Evfra threw out over his shoulder. Her jaw dropped and she pulled at the clips keeping her helmet on. She tore it off hastily and tossed it where her arm guard was. Inside her armor her breasts swelled, aching to feel his hands on them. Her nipples had hardened underneath the clothing, and she bit her lips as she fought the need rushing through her system.

“Evfra…” Her tone held a note of _something_ in it. He merely looked over his shoulder at her, in an almost bored movement.

“I’ve always been curious. That suit you wear under your armor.” He indicated it with his free hand. “What is it that you wear underneath that?” His abrupt question startled her into answering honestly.

“What? What am I wearing beneath the under-armor suit? My underwear.” The flare of heat in his eyes had her body responding in kind. Cerise knew she had a decision to make, her body clamored for satisfaction. She debated the pros and cons in her head. This tension between them was an unnecessary distraction and she couldn’t afford distractions. She’d just have to find a way to keep her heart safe from this man, who could easily bruise it beyond repair. The voice in her head told her this would only end one way, she may as well enjoy the ride. A sigh escaped her as she began to unhook her armor. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Well, you are right. Maybe if we got this out of our system, it will go away.” Cerise deliberately kept her tone light as she eased her armor off. She exposed her back to him and pointed at the back clasp, making herself vulnerable for a moment in front of him. “Would you?”

She felt him approach and heard the clasp slide open, she caught her chest armor and set it down. The under-armor suit was slightly tricky to get off thank to the humidity and she peeled it slowly off her skin. The humidity of Havarl made it stick to her skin. She felt his eyes watching her, savoring the sensation of power in making him watch her strip. Cerise stood there in her bra and panties, her back to the Resistance leader. She eased the panties off first and the bra was next, exposing all her scars. Her breasts swayed as she shifted to keep her clothes together. The humid air had a sheen of perspiration on her skin, but her nipples beaded under the ravenous gaze behind her.

Cerise turned to face Evfra and saw he’d used the opportunity to disrobe as well. She paused for a moment to just look and savor. She’d rarely seen angara naked and their bodies were just so foreign to her. The last time she’d seen his bare skin, it had been when he was injured and weakened from being ravaged by a disease. He was well and hardy now, so she drank in his body. His skin lightened to almost white on his abdomen area, and darkened around his limbs. Her fingers itched to feel his skin. She sucked in a breath as he stepped closer to her, her heart skipped a beat as she saw the look in his eyes. He’d been studying her as she’d been studying him.

Her body was smooth all over. His eyes glided over her naked form, noting the sway of her breasts as she shifted her weight. His palms itched the cup that warmth in his hand again, and this time he’d have the luxury of exploring her thoroughly. He wanted to know her secrets, he wanted her to succumb to his touch. She stepped closer, close enough to smell her. Evfra had learned what it was she smelled of. Cinnamon and darkness. The combination was enough to drown in.

Cerise raised her hand and traced the scar on his face as his body brushed hers. “I’ve been curious about how you got this scar.” Cerise murmured as her fingers brushed over the rest of his face. He felt the heat rush through him at the gentle touch of her hands. The familiar defensiveness didn’t surface, he found he wanted to tell her how he got it. Instead, he chose to change the subject. He couldn’t give that part of himself yet, better to focus the attention on her.

“This tattoo of yours. What does it mean?” Evfra traced the lines of the leviathan on her side. Goosebumps rose on her skin as his fingers stopped just at the swell of her breast. She ached for him to continue but his fingers stayed frustratingly still. Cerise grinned at him as she remembered the day she got it, and noted he did not want to talk about his scar. Fair enough, she wasn’t one to pry into secrets.

“It’s an old myth from Earth. The leviathan that will swallow the world.” Cerise admitted to his shock. She stood on her toes to brush a kiss across his lips, her hands running over his arms. Her sigh dragged across his raw nerves and he felt his control slipping. Evfra grabbed her waist and lifted her off the ground. He noted his hands spanned her body easily, his thumbs were almost touching each other. The woman barely weighed anything, how was she a feared mercenary?

Cerise shrieked and wrapped her legs around him, she did not like that weightless feeling. This man lifted her effortlessly off the ground, which was arousing, but arousal warred with her need for control. She tightened her legs around his waist, bringing her aching wet pussy flush against his stomach. Her breasts crushed against his chest, nipples beading against the rough skin of his chest.

“Do you know anything about angaran physiology?” The question threw her for a loop as she really didn’t.

“Nope. Do you know about human?” Cerise returned with a grin. She was never an expert in medical things. He shook his head to answer her question and she chuckled. “Then we’ll just have to take care of each other.” Cerise murmured as she stroked her fingers over the sides of his face, following the skin that fused onto his chest. “Just one thing.” Cerise shifted until her lips were parallel with his. “Don’t let my size fool you. I’m not fragile.” She nipped at his bottom lip and felt his growl vibrate against the intimate parts tight against him. His hands shifted to cup her ass and she moaned as he squeezed. The feel of his hands on her, finally, spread the delicious ache through her body. The feeling was similar to scotch as it spread its warmth through her blood.

He began walking towards the cot in the corner. His motions rubbed her clit against his abdomen, which sent sparks of white hot heat through her body. She couldn’t keep silent and the tiny mewls of pleasure escaped her mouth with every step. Her mind was blissfully blank as the heat rolled through her. Instead of laying her down on the cot, he turned and sat.

“Show me.” Evfra murmured against her hair as he brought his lips to her ear. “What brings you pleasure?” Cerise stiffened slightly but the question brought a flush to her skin as she thought about showing him how she liked being touched. She grabbed his hand and shifted it to her breast. His hand tightened on the soft flesh, drawing a low moan from her lips.

He experimented by testing how much she enjoyed her breasts being kneaded. Her chest heaved from her pants, small cries of pleasure leaving her lips. Her nipples were hard points against his palms, and he used both hands to massage her sensitive flesh. Acting on instinct, he lowered his head and closed his lips over one of the straining points. Her back arched as her cries of pleasure echoed off the walls of the room. She grasped at his shoulders as the splinter of heat speared her. Her body reacted violently to him, the pleasure coiling tightly in her abdomen. His teeth scraped her nipple and she dug her fingers into his shoulders. Her nails left crescent moon shaped marks as she ground her hips against him.

She felt his erection slid against her wet core. Her hips shifted until his cock stood between them. Evfra broke away from her and buried his face against her neck with a soft growl. Cerise reached between them and brushed her fingers over his length. His didn’t have the plum shaped tip that was familiar to her but she discovered, to her curious delight, he had small ridges along the shaft. This discovery had goosebumps rising along her skin as she thought of how it would feel inside her. He was rather large, but that only increased her anticipation. Her slick flesh rubbed against the tip, she wanted him in her.

“What pleases an angara? What would feel good to you?” Cerise murmured as she curled her hand around him. His response was muffled against her neck as she stroked his erection. She yelped as he bit down on her neck, unconsciously letting go of him. The pain mixed with pleasure, spiking low in her body. Biting merely heightened her own pleasure. She wanted more, her body was greedy for more.

“This is not about my pleasure now. That will come later.” Evfra growled in her ear as the wound throbbed. Cerise felt the sweat slide down her body as she pushed up with her knees, making sure to drag her wet flesh against his throbbing cock. She’d show him what brought her the most pleasure. He watched as her hand swept down her body to disappear between the wet folds, spreading her labia to get to her throbbing clit. Memories of the time he’d watched her pleasure herself in the shower pulsed through him and he let out a low growl as he saw two fingers slip inside her core. The sight was arousing but his hands itched to feel her. Evfra let his hand follow hers to between her thighs, his fingers brushing hers to the side despite her protests. She put her hand on top of his to guide him. The pleasure spiked through her as his hand brushed her clit, her back bowed in response.

Her inner muscles clenched around his fingers as he drove them into her wet heat. He filled himself with her taste, nipping at the column of her neck, grazing his teeth against the pulse there. She purred as he bit down at the tendon in her neck. His erection throbbed painfully as he ached to thrust into her, mindless to anything but the heat that exploded between them.

“My clit. Please, please, please.” Cerise murmured as she reached for him. She showed him where it was, with desperate groans as he patiently followed her fingers. His thumb found the tiny bundle of nerves there and brushed it. He bent down as she leaned back to press kisses against her breasts. She arched her hips in response, a low moan rolling over his skin. “Yes, yes.” Evfra kept caressing her while he slipped a finger inside that tight heat. “I need, I need you inside me. Now.” She tugged at his shoulders as her hips ground against his hand. She squealed as he leaned forward and bit the sensitive flesh above her nipple. The shot of heat almost sent her over the edge, as his tongue brushed against it to ease the sting.

“Not until I feel you come apart.” His growl against her tender skin spread the molten heat throughout her lower body. The tension was almost unbearable now. Her muscles were rigid from the pleasure tightening inside her. Her hands moved over his shoulders and back, marveling at the different texture of his skin. She brushed kisses across his shoulders as she gasped at the movements of his fingers. She needed to taste him, needed him. She grabbed his face to pull his lips to hers, but he resisted. Instead he brushed his lips against her shoulder. Frustration welled up within her, she wanted his taste on her tongue when she came apart. The tension tightened inside her and built high. She knew she was close but her body wouldn’t go over the edge. She needed something but her mind couldn’t understand what. He seemed to know what she needed. Cerise sobbed his name as he bit down on her shoulder again, sucking on the skin. Her body went rigid as the dam broke inside her. His name spilled from her lips as the orgasm whipped through her like a hurricane. Her muscles clenched around his finger. Her fingers at his shoulder dug in with bruising strength as she rode the waves, her hips grinding against his fingers. Her body went limp as she was completely spent, but she craved more.

“Now, please.” Cerise murmured against his lips as his hands moved to her clasp her hips with surprising gentleness. He lifted her onto his straining cock, wanting his own release. He filled her slowly, her head falling back at the luscious feeling of being stretched. He stretched her until the point of pain, but her body adjusted quickly. His dark groan was muffled against her neck. She shifted her legs and sank fully on him. His hand dove into her hair as she twisted her hips marginally, he fisted his hand and pulled her head back. Her laugh was full of arousal. “You don’t like it when I try to take control, do you Evfra?” He stared into her eyes, dark as smoke, at the challenge in them. She clenched her inner muscles around him, eliciting a surprised rumble from his chest. Cerise tested his restraint as she slowly rolled her hips. He tightened his hold on her hair, the sensation painful and pleasurable at the same time, as he lowered his head to her shoulder. The red marks stood out against her pale skin from his bites earlier, the second one bruising already. Cerise chuckled as she rolled her hips again, and gasped as his teeth closed over the skin of her neck. She moaned at the delicious friction her movements brought within her. The ridges she’d seen earlier adding more thrilling sensations as she rode him.

Evfra let go of her hair to grab her hips. He lifted her and lowered her slowly, guiding her into the rhythm he preferred. Cerise caught on quickly, her hips moving against him. The friction of his hard cock inside her inflamed her. The warmth of her surrounding his throbbing cock was almost too much. She was so tight around him, he shut his eyes to regain a semblance of control. She rolled her hips to move faster, but he would not be rushed. He planned to savor the feeling of her around him. The slow pace was agonizing to her, her body craved something harder, something darker.

Cerise leaned forward and threw all sense of dignity aside, she needed it rough and hard. “Please. Please fuck me Evfra.” She felt the shudder run through his body as she whispered the words against his cheek. He grabbed her and moved her again, this time off him. She cried out at the loss of him, not wanting this to end. She grunted as he roughly set her down on the cot face down. Cerise scrambled to her hands and knees, intending to apologize or argue she didn’t care which it was. The loss of him was too much, she needed him back more than she needed to retain her pride.

Instead his hands came down to grasp her waist and positioned her. Cerise moaned long and slow as he entered her roughly. Her head fell forward as he finally, _finally,_ began to move the way she needed him to. His thrusts reached deep inside her, spreading liquid heat through her body. Stretched and filled, the delicious friction had the pleasure building inside her again. Her hand went to where they joined, searching for her clit. He leaned down and bit the back of her neck with a low growl. Cerise shrieked as the sensation as need heightened her pleasure. His hand came around and found the nub, exposed by how wide her pussy was stretched. His name was a curse on her lips as she fell over the edge again, letting the waves roll through her. She felt his body tighten and he thrust once more before his hands gripped her flesh with bruising strength. Her name was a dark whisper on his lips as he curled around her back and emptied himself inside her.

The only sound in the room was their harsh breathing. He lifted himself off her and she shakily sat up. Her body felt languid, boneless, and she ran a hand through her tangled hair. She looked over at him and felt something twist inside her, but she brushed it aside ruthlessly. That kind of warm emotion had no place in the aftermath of what they’d just experienced. Neither of them were the type to cuddle nor did they need affectionate words. If she told herself that enough times, she could almost believe it.

Cerise stopped in front of him, her eyes twinkling with an unidentified emotion. Evfra gave her a warning glance but she merely smiled at him. He froze as her smile was genuine, no hint of malice or falseness and it was honest. This was the same type she’d had in the picture with her brother and it stole his breath. “So, leader of the Resistance. Shall I eagerly await my next job?” Her tone was light and meant to dispel any misgivings. He snorted in response but he did appreciate her resorting to humor. It staved off the awkwardness of him wanting to gather her in his arms. The craving for her was supposed to be sated, but he found his body wanted her close at hand.

“You’ll get the email.” She burst out laughing and he was bowled over at how young she looked when she did that. The harsh lines around her eyes softened when she let herself go. It made him want to see her sleeping. Cerise looked up to see a concerned look on his face. “I never have asked. But how old are you Cerise?” She snorted in amusement and covered her mouth with her hand.

“I’m 22 in human years. I’ll be 23 soon.” Cerise told him. He blew out a relieved breath, not so young then. Cerise snickered as she heard the sigh, she figured he worried she’d been too young. She ambled over to her clothing and he watched her getting dressed. The stretch and pull of her muscles was strangely erotic, the leviathan danced along with her movements. It was captivating to see the scales shifting along with her skin. Cerise looked down at her breast and cursed silently. It was already starting to bruise, she’d be left with a reminder of the sex now for at least a week. The others were no doubt bruising as well, it was unavoidable. Skin as fair as hers tended to bruise and turn red easier than most. She’d get teased mercilessly for this. The under-armor suit went on fairly easy, it only took a little shimmy of her hips to pull it back on. She turned before she put the hood on to keep her hair out of her face. Evfra was watching her with quiet eyes. Cerise knew they needed to get something out. Despite the mind-numbing sex they’d just had, Cerise knew her body was nowhere near satisfied. Her appetite was barely satisfied by it, already the thought of more sent shivers of heat licking along her skin. The uncertainty was with Evfra and how he felt.

“On a serious note. Evfra. I know that was supposed to dispel whatever was between us…” She waved her arm between them. “I don’t know about you but…” She blew out a breath in irritation. She squeaked as he strode over to her and grabbed the back of her neck. He tilted her face up to his and his lips roughly captured hers. Cerise felt relief singing through her body, he wasn’t satisfied by it either. She wanted more and gripped his shoulders tightly as his tongue swept into her mouth. His taste exploded over her tongue again, she desperately missed this since the last time they’d kissed months ago.

“Until next time Eve.” Evfra murmured against her lips as he released her. Cerise wobbled unsteadily for a moment before regaining her balance. Those words held such dark promise that she shivered. He pulled on his clothing as she pulled on her armor. The door slid open with a few taps from Evfra, and they both exited the building. She felt his eyes on her as she climbed onto the shuttle, it sent a delicious thrill down her spine. _Until next time,_ he told her. Cerise felt a smile tugging her lip as she found she couldn’t wait until next time.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance calls upon the Serpents for another job. This time Cerise makes a split second decision that involves Evfra. It reveals a lot about the depth of her feelings for the Resistance leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst. Some angst thrown in there. Will Cerise and Evfra get a happy ending? Who knows?
> 
> For those curious, Cerise's twin will show up in the next couple of chapters. Then it will typically follow the game.

Lister did not disappoint Cerise. The moment she went into the exercise room he saw the bruises on her neck and shoulders. The sharp whistle merely irritated her as she stared at him. “What?” Her voice was more mildly annoyed than anything else.

“So, the boss got laid huh?” Trixa shoved her hand in Lister’s face with quiet admonishments. The turian turned towards Cerise with a sympathetic light in her eyes.

“I did. Want to hear details?” Cerise speared him a wicked grin and he opened his mouth and closed it. He quickly shook his head in denial as she stalked towards him.

“No!” Lister covered his ears as Cerise hung over his shoulder while holding him in a loose chokehold. She braced her legs on the chair’s legs to get right up by his ear.

“The boss had _sex!_ ” She teased Lister as her voice lilted into a pathetic imitation of song, deliberately drawing out the word sex for his benefit. “And it was good!” The word good was long, drawn out, and spoken with a husky voice. Just to purely torture him.

“Trixa!! Save me!” Lister tried to cover his ears but it made no use. Trixa was doubled over with laughter and was of no help to him. She wouldn’t save him anyway, he fully deserved whatever torture he was getting from the boss. “I admit defeat!” Lister held up his arms in submission as Cerise grinned at him with her cheek pressed against his.

“Now you know the consequences.” Cerise told him before she let him go. Lister glared at her over his chair.

“You play dirty boss.” Cerise merely laughed at his disgruntled expression, Trixa was still trying to catch her breath from the deep belly laughs. She pushed away from him and went to exercise, her spirits abnormally high. Her inner voice didn’t want to pin it all on what had transpired between her and Evfra. There was something else there, but damned if she could pinpoint what it was exactly. Good sex always loosened her up, but she practically _skipped,_ and that was dangerous. Cerise was rarely this happy, usually something came along to screw it up. It bugged Cerise for a few days as she went about business as usual around the headquarters.

“Another job?” Cerise tilted back in her chair as Anxo came into the office. The salarian nodded as he forwarded her the information to her omni-tool. Cerise scanned the words written there. It was a straight forward job, they’d be helping the Resistance with an attack against some Roekaar. The Roekaar were entrenched in a vital position the Resistance needed and negotiations had fallen through the way they normally fell through. With multiple bullets and the Resistance had fallen back as the Roekaar were dug into the position.

“Seems pretty easy. He’s asking for a small strike team of my elite to get through the Roekaar defense.” Cerise told Anxo. The salarian nodded and had a few names for her.

“Trixa is our best sniper. Lister and Jusca are our best offensive soldiers by far.” He ticked off their names on his hand. Cerise nodded and tilted her chair back as they discussed the best biotic to join the force. It came down to two of their asari members. “Would using biotics be a good idea?”

“I think so. The angara don’t seem to really have anything like biotics. Not that I’ve noticed.” Cerise gestured with her hand to the window, which overlooked their practice yard. Anxo nodded in agreement. He hadn’t noticed an abundance of biotics in the angara either, they had that uncanny ability to harness the bioelectric currents in their own bodies instead. “Following that logic, they wouldn’t have any defenses set up for biotics. Though the Roekaar sharpshooters are nasty pieces of work. They’ve also found a way to tame adhi.” Cerise grumbled as she drummed her fingers on the desk. Anxo cringed as he remembered a skirmish with a small squad of Roekaar a few months prior, it had ended with a few of their mercenaries ending up with multiple bite injuries.

“Yes. Trixa could help take out any sharpshooters though, couldn’t she?” Cerise nodded at the question. It was very likely the turian could. She had some of the sharpest eyesight Cerise had ever encountered. It was a rare occasion that Trixa missed, and that was almost always preplanned to draw enemies into an ambush.

“Trixa is on the list for the strike force.” Cerise told Anxo as he sent out the message for Trixa. “Lister or Jusca? I can’t take both. A smaller team is easier to get behind enemy forces.” Cerise murmured. Anxo looked up at her startled.

“You’re going Cerise?” Anxo shouldn’t have been surprised, anything to do with the Resistance required the personal touch. Cerise wasn’t about to let any knowledge she could garner about the Roekaar and kett slip through her fingers, they weren’t a big threat on Kadara but the mere _hint_ of them was too much.

“Yes. I’m curious about why the Resistance need this location from the Roekaar.” Cerise grinned at him. Anxo blew out an exasperated breath. Cerise never failed to amaze him. Going on a dangerous mission because she wanted to know what the Resistance was up to. Honestly, she didn’t act like one of the most powerful people on Kadara. Sloane and the Charlatan had their own representatives to go handle the businesses and missions, but Cerise insisted on doing it. Her motto was: why put my people into danger I wasn’t willing to face myself. Anxo shook his head at his boss and puffed out an irritated breath as he looked at the data on his omni-tool.

“I would suggest Lister for the mission. He’s a good pilot as well as being a proficient soldier. Jusca is a decent pilot.” Anxo murmured as Cerise grinned at him. She hadn’t missed that subtle emphasis on Jusca’s piloting skills, which were mediocre at best. The krogan did not like to pilot, so she purposely flew outrageously. It worked as no one dared let her near the pilot console anymore. The one and only time Lister flew with her, he’d sworn to quit if the krogan ever flew again. “I’d also take Telessari. She’s just entering the matron stage of the asari life cycle, which would provide a more level head with this team. She is a couple hundred years older than Velana.” Anxo called off for Cerise.

“Good call. We’ll take Telessari then.” Cerise nodded as she looked at the location. The curse exploded from Cerise as she saw where they were going. “It has to be Voeld! The seventh circle of hell!”

“Umm, boss? I thought Elaaden was hell?” Anxo asked with confusion and amusement threaded through his tone. The boss’s dislike of Elaaden was infamous in the company, and her griping provided much needed levity on some of the trips.

“No, Elaaden is the eighth circle of hell. Voeld is a special hell unto itself. I hate the cold. Almost as much as I hate extreme heat and sand.” Cerise grumbled as she stood to tell the team to get ready. The only alleviating factor in this whole thing is that Lister hated the cold as much as she did, they could bitch about it together. The mission would put them only a few clicks away from an angaran science outpost. Which they’d be stopping at to restock and resupply before _hiking_ to the Roekaar camp. The shudder went through Cerise again at the thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“No offense boss, but next time we get a mission on Voeld? Strike my name off the list.” Lister groused as he stood next to Cerise, both shivering under their armor. Telessari and Trixa were also shivering, but being more stoic about it, as they made their way to the science outpost before heading out. The scientists had warning the mercenary group would be stopping by to warm up before heading to the Roekaar camp. The team trekked across the snow to the outpost, the shuttle wasn’t even a quarter of a mile away but it felt like miles as the wind sliced through their armor. Cerise looked towards the building and stopped, completely motionless as her eyes scanned the outpost. Lister bumped into her, almost sending them both to the ground. “Boss.” She held up her hand, telling him to shut up. His mouth closed as he saw the tension outlined in her body. The uneasy feeling passed between the group.

“The outpost has been ransacked. Look.” Cerise told them. Trixa brought up the scope of her sniper to survey the situation. There were no bodies in the vicinity, but the outpost looked as if a tornado had gone through it. Crates were overturned and the contents scattered everywhere. The terminals were smashed to pieces, and vehicles were smoldering. It was not the work of mother nature.

“Looks like kett handiwork. We never find any bodies after they get through.” Trixa murmured as she lowered the sniper. Her mandibles fluttered in irritation as her eyes narrowed. Cerise blew out a breath in exasperation. She brought up her omni-tool.

“Right. See if you detect any kett vessels nearby before this blizzard makes visibility any worse than it already is. We need shelter if we want to continue on, but I’d rather not walk into an ambush.” Cerise grumbled as she thought of another item. “Check for Roekaar. They could’ve come along if they’d heard the battle.” Trixa and Telessari set up recon as Cerise pulled up the Resistance’s comm line.

“Ah, Ryder. What have you discovered?” Jaal asked as he answered the call. Cerise was pleased to see the angaran man was doing well, she actually _liked_ him.

“It looks like your science outpost was hit by kett.” He cursed in Shelesh, the depth of his pain clear in the growled curses. “We’re double checking to make sure it was kett. Evidence suggests that our initial assumption is correct, there are no bodies Jaal. The place has been ransacked. Are we still on target for the Roekaar encampment?” Jaal turned to someone off screen and they whispered in Shelesh. Cerise didn’t recognize the voice of the other angara.

“Yes. We will be there shortly.” Jaal informed her before cutting the conversation short.

“Good. We’ll see if there is any evidence at the outpost and forward our findings, if we have any, to you guys.” Jaal nodded as the call went dark. Cerise grumbled as Lister met her eyes. He saw the worry in Cerise’s face, lips tight against the biting wind. Her whole body was tense, ready to spring into action at the littlest provocation.

“Cerise. We’ve tangled with kett, hell all of Kadara has at some point or another, but it’s not a fight I like the odds of.” Cerise nodded as she understood his concerns perfectly. The kett were ruthless hunters, hell, Cerise knew that better than any of them. The memories of the shuttle crash still haunted her at night, months after it was over. The flash of that ship, the laser cutting through her shuttle, all of it was still fresh when she closed her eyes.

“Neither do I. Those families deserve to know something of what happened to them though.” Cerise pointed out. Lister nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure they’d find out who did it, but they could look into it.

“Boss. The outpost is clear.” Trixa called out to them. They cautiously made their way towards the outpost, still on alert for potential ambushes. _Demolished_ was the word that went through Cerise’s head as they walked in through the door. The entire outpost was eerily silent as they picked their way through the debris. The warmers were left operating, but that was it.

“Shit.” Lister hissed as he saw the damage. Cerise nodded in agreement as they geared up to head to the encampment. They all checked for any damage the cold had done to weaponry, extreme cold would crack Milky Way metal if it wasn’t taken care of. Life support systems were online.

“We ready to do this boss?” Lister asked as he checked Cerise’s back for any damage to her armor. They were all eager to get through the mission and get back to Kadara.

“As ready as we’ll ever be.” Telessari chuckled from her perch on one of the storage crates.

“I’ll be providing cover fire so long as the blizzard keeps at bay.” Trixa rambled as she went over the plan in her head. She agreed with Cerise’s plan to work in tandem with the Resistance. They had worked with the soldiers before, but this was the first time Jaal had been on the battlefield with them. If they were honest, it was the first time they’d actively fought side by side with the Resistance.

“Right. I’ll be keeping the majority of their sharpshooters down with biotic attacks.” Telessari chimed in. Indigo light swirled around her fist as she honed the precision with it. Lister shuddered as he saw it, biotics always made him nervous.

“Then the boss and I will charge in with the soldiers.” Lister placed his Avenger on the back holster before he patted Cerise’s shoulder.

“And I use my cloak to slip behind enemy lines.” Cerise finished. It was a decent plan, and the mercenaries all knew plans had a high probability to going to hell in a handbasket. They were prepared for that and each had their own orders for if something screwed up. _Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst._ “Let’s go.” The ragtag group headed towards the encampment and saw the angaran soldiers milling around just before the crest of the hill. Cerise recognized Jaal’s armor and _rofjinn_ as they approached.

“Ah Cerise. It is good to see you are well. I will give you the brief.” Jaal told her as they walked to the top of the hill. Both crotched simultaneously to keep their profiles low. Her eyes swept the base camp and noted how many Roekaar soldiers milled around outside the structures. She counted at least ten just standing around or patrolling outside in the snow. Cerise wasn’t naïve enough to assume the Roekaar weren’t prepared for a battle, but it was the unseen numbers that worried her. A flash of yellow scales in the camp snagged her attention and she saw the adhi waddling around. It would be comical, how they walked, if she didn’t know how vicious those teeth were. Cerise counted at least four adhi that were visible, which meant there were countless others hidden around somewhere. Trixa wasn’t going to like these odds, but Cerise didn’t see much of a choice in the matter. Lister and Telessari could handle themselves in the battle, as could she when it came down to it. Battle tides shifted constantly and good warriors learned to adapt quickly or die.

“I should tell you. Evfra went in.” Jaal murmured quietly as Cerise snapped her head around. Jaal could almost see the narrowed, furious glare behind the visor. “The head of the camp was willing to negotiate with us again, and we just can’t afford to fight the Roekaar right now. No matter how much we may disagree with their methods.” Jaal told her as he put a hand on her shoulder. The tension radiated off her, but she did her best to tamp down on the worst of the worry.

“He made a mistake. They’ll use him as a bargaining chip.” Cerise shook her head. A man like Evfra would know that. He’d know he was walking into a trap, but was that why he called them in? _Of course, it is. We’re not affiliated with the Resistance. Using him as a bargaining tool won’t work with us as well as it will with the Resistance. An unknown entity, the Roekaar won’t know how we will react to their little games._ Cerise chewed on her bottom lip. She had a suspicion that’s how Evfra played it, but she couldn’t be one hundred percent. If she was right, Evfra was putting a whole lot of trust in her and her company. Cerise motioned for Trixa to come up to them. “Trixa. Job just got complicated.”

“Explain _complicated_ boss. Because I hate _complicated._ ” Trixa muttered as she felt the dread weigh down her shoulders. Cerise gave her a basic rundown of what they could expect in the camp and that Evfra had gone in there. The turian’s breath whistled out in a low hiss as she realized how much that would _complicate_ things. “Shit boss. Well, the rest of us can provide covering fire. You and Jaal can make a go to get in where Evfra and this base leader is at.” Trixa proposed and Cerise gave a tight nod. They’d have to make the push for the leader with just two, and it would have to be someone familiar with angaran ways.

“Right. Jaal, are you okay going through with me?” Cerise looked over at the older man who nodded. She saw the determination in his eyes and they both agreed to go in and either help or rescue the Resistance leader.

“Oh, he’s not going to be happy if you wind up rescuing him boss.” Lister chuckled as he heard the plan. Telessari grinned as some of the angaran soldiers murmured among themselves.

“Of course, he’s not. We came here to do a job, so let’s do it. Lister, Telessari you two will take point. They’ve got adhi.” Cerise saw Lister shudder from the memory of those sharp teeth. He still had the scar on his thigh from adhi teeth. “There’s also around ten soldiers that I can see over there. No telling how many will come out to play once the alarm blares.” Lister pulled out his Avenger and grinned at his boss. Telessari let her hand crackle with biotic blue light as she was ready to throw a shockwave at the Roekaar. “All right. You know I generally leave you to yourselves in a fight…”

“Awww, are you worrying about us boss?” Lister asked as he grabbed Cerise up in a huge hug.

“Except you. Especially not you.” Cerise growled as she pushed at his face and demanded he let her go. Jaal watched the interactions with interest, the mercenaries joked with one another and they acted like a family. It struck him as odd that creatures that worked as guns for hire had loyalty to one another.

“Good luck boss.” Lister told her as Cerise stepped next to Jaal so they could head in during the chaos. Her omni-blade hissed as she tested it. Blue eyes met grey ones as the alarms sounded and the first wave of soldiers hit the Roekaar camp. “Let’s do this boys!!!” Lister’s whoop was heard over the chaos as he ran into the thick of things.

“Where is Evfra being held?” Cerise asked as Jaal lead them through the camp. He pointed to the building and she gave one terse nod. They headed towards it without speaking, the chaos around them did enough of that. Their path wasn’t free of enemies, Cerise let an adhi crunch down on her omni-blade while her Eagle shot it in its gullet. The two moved in unison towards what Jaal had pointed out as the headquarters.

As they reached the door it blinked red and Jaal cursed. The loudspeaker came on to address them. “Jaal ama Daraav and an _alien._ You won’t get Evfra back until we gain an alliance with the Resistance to wipe out these invaders for good.” The woman’s voice was unflinchingly frigid and Cerise’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Ah, I see there is to be no talking to you then?” Jaal murmured sadly. He had hoped to get Evfra free without resorting to unnecessary violence. Cerise had studied the lock and brought up her omni-tool to examine it further. She was quite surprised to see a biolock on it. Interesting mechanism as only certain DNA could open it. Cerise was willing to bet only those Roekaar in camp would be registered to open the lock. Jaal noticed the human turn on her heel and head towards the exit. “Cerise, where are you going?”

“Giving up already human? I expected no less of your kind.” The woman taunted as she laughed through the intercom. Cerise let it roll off her back as she had a goal in mind. Her omni-tool came up and she spoke briefly into it.

“Lister. I need a Roekaar soldier.” “Alive?” “Preferably.” “Shit. I’ll try boss.” Cerise lowered her arm and her lieutenant delivered a few moments later. “Here ya go boss!” He dropped the Roekaar, face first, onto the ground despite the protests. Cerise yanked him up off the ground and saluted him. A huge grin split his face as he waded back into the thick of battle, having the time of his life in battle. Cerise dragged the Roekaar to the door as Jaal was attempting to hack the lock.

“Move Jaal.” Cerise told him and he jumped back at the sound of her voice. The Roekaar was struggling with her and snarling at her that he’d rather die than help an alien. “Well, that can be arranged. I don’t need you, after all. I just need your DNA signature.” Cerise told him plainly. The Roekaar howled in protest as she brought his palm up to the scanner. The door’s lock flipped to green and it slid open. “Good.” Cerise grinned happily at the success. Her prisoner pulled out a pistol but he never even got to aim it before Trixa put a sniper bullet in him. “Dumbass.” Cerise grumbled as she gave a wave to the sniper. “After you Jaal.” Jaal blinked in surprise at how smoothly that was pulled off.

“How did you know about that lock?” Cerise looked over at him in surprise.

“We have similar ones in the Milky Way. For one of my college classes I had to design one that was practically unhackable without the right DNA. No one in class was able to unlock it, but the professor did.” Cerise shrugged as they continued into the open room full of terminals and terrified looking angara. “Well, I guess it _wasn’t_ kett that attacked the science outpost.” Cerise murmured in surprise.

“ _You_ would attack your own people like this?” Jaal snarled at the Roekaar leader. She crossed her arms and looked smugly at the human and Resistance soldier. This was her domain and she ruled it. Evfra tugged a bit at the chains and she snarled at him to be still. The fury fell off him in waves as he chafed against the restrictions. She turned back and saw the human looking at her but that damned visor kept her face hidden.

“That’s a good look for you Evfra.” Cerise laughed as Jaal stared at her in surprise. Evfra was hanging behind the Roekaar leader with his hands shackled over his head with some a device that resembled hand cuffs. This woman had time to joke about things in such a dire situation? Clearly, she had lost a few brain cells from that shuttle crash. Jaal heard his leader snort at the human’s joke but he certainly didn’t seem worried about his predicament. Jaal realized that Evfra put an astonishing amount of trust in the human mercenary.

“Enough with your humor Cerise. End this woman and free the hostages. She wants to use them to gain the support at the base since the base commander’s sister is here.” Evfra explained. The Roekaar whipped him with the butt of her pistol, splitting his lip. Jaal felt Cerise go deathly still beside him. The hostages wailed as the Roekaar leader watched the blood trickle from Evfra’s split lip. Power rushed through her as she realized she was the one in charge, not the Resistance leader.

“Unless you want him to die, you will do as I say.” She declared as she turned. Cerise put a hand on her hip and shook her head dismissively.

“Why do you villains _always_ have to resort to the ‘do what I want or the hostage dies?’ It’s such a pathetic trope.” Cerise complained to Jaal’s amazement. “I mean, can’t you come up with something original for once?” Her grey eyes flicked over to Evfra who was containing his amusement.

“You want original? How about I kill you instead?” “Oh, that’s more like it. Now let’s see if you can back up your words.” The human’s predatory tone slid a tiny splinter of fear to the Roekaar’s heart. She lunged for Cerise but the crack of the bullet reverberated through the room. The blunt impact to her chest threw her backwards as pain bloomed outwards. The pistol was still pointed at her from Cerise’s hand, the gaze behind the purple glass ice cold as she watched the angaran woman fall.

“Guess I forgot to mention something in my little speech.” Cerise told her as she went over to the body. She struggled for breath as the blood soaked her clothing. “You see. I’m not exactly hero material, so trusting _me_ to do the honorable thing? That was your own mistake.” Cerise holstered her pistol and went over to Evfra. Jaal watched as she turned her back on the dying angara, and it hurt to know the woman could be so callous. Even if the Roekaar leader had just threatened them.

Cerise removed the bonds on Evfra and he fell forward to his feet gratefully, pain racking his body. He’d never tell her but she knew from his eyes. Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise and Cerise turned her head. She saw the Roekaar leader holding up the pistol at Evfra. “He _will_ die.” She said as the blood spilled from her lips. Cerise had a split-second decision to make, and she would look back on it and never regret it.

Her hand reached out and shoved Evfra away as the laser round connected with her shoulder. The force of impact sent her flying against the wall, _damn these high-powered pistols,_ and the blood burned her frigid skin as it spilled from the wound. She reached up to put the emergency medi-gel on it. It was the angaran stuff and stung like a whole hornet’s nest descended upon her skin. Evfra got up on an oath for Cerise, how dare she push him, and then he saw the blood flowing down her black armor. He felt the blood leave his face but she held up her good arm. “Guess I’m more hero material than I thought huh?” The grin split her face underneath the helmet.

“Get the hostages. See to them.” She told Jaal through clenched teeth. The medi-gel burned against the already throbbing wound. Jaal went over to the angaran scientists to free them. They’d seen the human take a bullet for one of their kind, that left an impression with them. Despite the cold way she’d treated the Roekaar leader, she still put her life at risk for an angara. Cerise struggled to get her helmet off so she could better see the wound, but it was comical as she tried to do it one handed. Evfra reached down and helped her with the clasps, he lifted the helmet and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. Now go see to the hostages.” Cerise told him as she felt the nerves screaming at her in her arm. They did not like being repaired with the foreign medi-gel, but it was the only one she had on hand. Evfra reached a hand towards her injured arm and clenched a fist. Too many emotions churned inside him and he needed the time to clear his head. Jaal appreciated the help and the scientists chattered in Shelesh about the human. The human that was currently swearing viciously about foreign medi-gel and shuttle crashes.

“Hey boss!” Lister called out as he and the others made it inside. Trixa saw the blood and her long legs bolted towards her leader. Lister recognized the panic in Trixa’s body and knew something was wrong. He and Telessari were right behind Trixa as they rushed up to Cerise.

“C’mon boss. We just got you healed up from that shuttle crash.” Telessari chided with the worry in her brown eyes. Cerise grinned at them as Lister knelt next to her.

“Not my fault the bad guys like shooting at my pretty face.” Cerise grinned at her. Trixa saw the wound wasn’t fatal and the skin, muscle, and nerves were already being knit back together. It would take a few days to fully heal over, but there was no immediate danger. Cerise stood slowly as she reached for support. Three hands extended to her and helped her without jostling the wound.

“How is your wound?” Jaal’s voice broke through the cloud of concern over the group. He walked up to the mercenaries after freeing the hostages.

“It’ll heal and it beats crash landing a shuttle on Havarl.” Cerise grinned through the stinging. Lister scooped up her helmet from the ground as Cerise spoke with the angaran man. Evfra walked up to them and Trixa felt uneasy at the anger in his face. Her mandibles shook from the nerves, the Resistance leader looked furious. Lister saw the look but he also recognized some of the anguish behind it, and even understood it. Cerise was used to putting her life on the line every day, came with being a mercenary, but knowing that didn’t make it one bit easier to swallow.

“Come on Trixa. Let’s help the Resistance gather up the scientists.” He put his hand on her arm and she let him pull her away from Cerise. Telessari saluted her boss before stepping out behind the others. Cerise turned and saw Evfra bearing down on her and her heart skipped a beat as nerves hit. She felt her throat tighten as his eyes pinned her to the wall. He looked furious, but Cerise didn’t know why.

“I need to speak with you.” Jaal looked over at the cold words from Evfra. Cerise nodded before she followed Evfra down the small corridor into one of the private rooms. Jaal wasn’t sure how that conversation would go between the two of them, he only hoped Evfra wouldn’t yell too loudly at her. He was rather fond of the tiny human mercenary with a loud mouth. The door slid shut quietly behind the two of them as they entered into what appeared to be someone’s private quarters.

“Are you all right Evfra?” Cerise asked. He whipped around and she squeaked as her back bumped against the door. The movement sent a bolt of pain down her arm. He looked furious at her and that sent a trickle of sweat down her back. “Evfra?”

“Don’t you ever do that again.” His voice was low and incensed. Cerise looked at him in confusion. “That.” He pointed to her shoulder. “Was meant for me.” Suddenly it all clicked and Cerise grimaced. He didn’t like feeling indebted to her for taking a bullet for him, and she’d let him feel indebted. Cerise couldn’t explain her reasons for doing it, but she had jumped in front of the bullet for him.

“You know getting shot is part of my job description?” Cerise murmured as she raised her good arm to push at his shoulder, he was much too close. Her system was already in overdrive from the shoulder wound, and now her nerves sparked at his nearness. “I’ve had much worse and besides. She was aiming for here.” Her hand slid over his clothing until it was over his heart. The reassuring, steady beat felt comforting under her hand. “The angaran people need you.” She grinned at him. “A human mercenary from Kadara versus the leader of the Resistance. I think your people would agree it’s a decent trade off.” Cerise couldn’t look up at his face. Evfra fisted his hand against the wall by her head.

“Don’t cast yourself as worthless.” Evfra growled. She looked up, startled, into his face. “Your life isn’t meaningless Cerise. I didn’t like seeing you get shot in my place.” Evfra told her. It had struck him to his soul when he’d turned to see the laser hit her. The panic of losing her sent pain spiraling through him, and it hit him how much she meant to him. He wished she could see that she wasn’t expendable, that there would be people who would miss her if something happened to her.

“I.” Cerise started but the words froze in her throat. She tried to find the right words to say to him. “I’m not saying my life is worthless Evfra.” Her lips thinned out as she realized she’d have to tell him the truth of why she’d pushed him away, and it ate at her pride to do so. “I didn’t want to see you get shot.” The words were mumbled out as she cast her eyes towards the floor. Her face was flushed, and it wasn’t from the pain. Evfra looked down at the top of her head and saw that her ears had gotten pink. Warmth stole through him as he realized what she was saying. Then cold reality set in, as cold as the planet they were on, and he lifted a hand to her cheek.

“We cannot.” Evfra paused. “I cannot choose you over my people.” Evfra murmured to her. Cerise’s head snapped up with fire flashing in her eyes. He saw the offended indignation in her entire body, and it startled him.

“And when did I ever ask you to do that?” Cerise demanded. “I know what is at stake Evfra. I wouldn’t ever ask you to choose me over your people.” She pushed at his chest to get him away from her. She was upset that he’d think she’d ask him, hell she knew he wouldn’t choose her over his people. If he was the type of man to do that, she’d never have been attracted to him in the first place. Evfra refused to step back, instead stepping closer to her. She clenched her teeth and turned her head away. Her shoulder wasn’t the only thing that hurt her now. The ache in her heart spread through her body, throbbing in time with her shoulder. She felt his fingers on her cheek and she tensed up.

“That was my mistake. I should have known you wouldn’t ask me to choose.” Evfra murmured against her hair as he brushed his lips across it. Cerise didn’t know how to deal with a tender Evfra, this was completely out of character for him. Warmth spread through her as his words registered, and she closed her eyes. She tried to tell herself she didn’t need to care about anyone, she didn’t need his words. “There is more between us than lust. I don’t know what to call it right now.” Evfra told her as she buried her face against his rofjinn with a shake of her head.

“Don’t. Don’t delve too deeply into it. It’s not like anything would come from it. Just accept the now.” Cerise told him. She knew, deep inside, that what they had could never be permanent. Too much was at stake in Andromeda for it to be permanent. The angara people would need him to fight against the kett, and she was needed on Kadara. There was little else that could develop between them. They’d forever be on opposite sides. He was the sun to the angaran people, a shining leader against their fight with the kett. Cerise was more like the moon in the sky. She was there and provided a useful job when it was her turn. But she was not as necessary as the sun was to life in Andromeda.

“As you wish.” Evfra told her as he brushed one hand through the hair tumbling free. His hand cupped the back of her head gently, almost reverently. He let her go and she stepped back, until her back bumped the door. The cold metal breaking the bubble around them. Reality set in and it had no room for sentimentality.

“We have to get going Evfra. We’re needed back on Kadara.” Cerise told him as she took a fortifying breath. He nodded slowly and let the door open behind her. “Until you need us again.” Cerise turned on her heel and walked out before she could change her mind. She could feel him watch her go and cursed herself silently. _You fool. You sentimental fool. Losing yourself, your heart, to him._ Cerise didn’t look back as she headed out of the camp, she passed Jaal who looked at her curiously. The burning ache in her chest spread as she felt the tears well up. Cerise laughed at herself. She didn’t cry when they landed in Andromeda and hit the Scourge, she didn’t cry when the revolts happened and friends were injured, she didn’t cry when she was exiled for standing up for the krogan, and she didn’t cry during that week and a half with Koshak. The uncertainty of not seeing her father and twin again? No. Leaving _him_ behind when every fiber of her being screamed to stay? It seemed that was her breaking point. The tears threatened to flow, and she couldn’t have that until she was in the safety of her quarters.

“You okay boss?” Lister asked as Cerise boarded the shuttle after meeting up with the group there. Cerise gave him a curt nod as she settled into the seat. Trixa tossed her the helmet and she caught it with her good arm. She concentrated on the helmet to keep the tears at bay as they headed back to Kadara.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emails are exchanged between Cerise and Evfra. With a little meddling help from Lister and Anxo.

“Lister… What are you doing at my terminal?” Cerise’s voice tore Lister from his task and ripped a vicious curse from him. His heart lodged in his throat as he whirled to look at his boss staring down at him with cool, bland eyes. Deceptively cool. Lister knew there was a storming brewing behind them. She’d snuck up behind him silently, he needed to remember his boss was just like one of those snakes that ambushed prey. Silent and patient, waiting for the right moment to strike. On the battlefield, anyway. She had an uncanny ability to sneak anywhere and behind anyone. Even Trixa found it hard to detect her when Cerise wanted to be unseen.

“Uh. I heard your email ping boss.” The excuse sounded lame even to his ears. He couldn’t tell his boss he was snooping. Ever since they’d come back from the mission on Voeld, she’d withdrawn into herself. Lister figured that it had to do with what she and Evfra had talked about. No one had commented on the tears in her eyes as they headed back to Kadara. The shuttle ride had been silent as Trixa fussed over the wound in Cerise’s shoulder. Telessari had also fussed just a bit. Both turian and asari had thought it romantic that Cerise had taken the bullet for the Resistance leader. Lister thought it was dumb personally. There was no way to know how Evfra would pay that kind of loyalty. Given his boss had come back with tears in her eyes, he figured that she’d gotten chewed out. He added ungrateful to growing list of reasons to dislike the Resistance leader. He was hoping to find something in her emails that he could use to help cheer her up. Trixa had told him it was a stupid idea, and he supposed she was right. Given his very intimidating boss was staring down at him with an unholy gleam in her eyes, he _maybe_ should have listened to his girlfriend.

“Right…” Cerise drawled as she looked over his shoulder. She did see unopened email so it seemed he had just begun snooping. She twirled her finger in a motion for him to leave and he bolted towards the door, silently praising whatever holy divinity was sparing him from her wrath that day. “Don’t let me catch you here again _Johnathan._ ” Her voice carried over the din of the exercise room. Lister groaned at the chorus of laughter ringing down the hallway after him. Trixa snorted with muffled laughter as Cerise used the dreaded first name.

“Okay. Let’s see about these emails.” Cerise murmured as she scanned them. “Asari matriarch credits? Who the hell do they think they’re fooling?” She sent it to the archives, she could find out who sent it if she had a mind to. Cerise simply let the matter rest, it wasn’t worth the energy to get mad over. “Hmm. More propaganda from the Outcasts? Nah. Oh, mission brief for that weapon merchant.” Cerise saw the merchant decided to go with another company that charged less. Cerise also wondered how that merchant would fare when the mercenaries they chose turned on them. “No skin off my back if you choose someone else buddy.” Cerise grumbled.

“Are you talking to yourself again Cerise?” Anxo asked evenly as he walked into the office. He noticed she had a tendency to grumble about emails whenever she had to answer them.

“No. I’m talking to my computer screen. That’s all.” Cerise propped her chin on her hand, with her elbow resting on the desk. Anxo could see the boredom chafing at her, it was subtle. To the casual observer she’d simply look occupied with email, but he knew her. The twitch in her fingers, her quick tapping on the floor, and her eyes never stopped scanning the screen. She was the picture of restrained chaos. One wrong move and it could all explode. Anxo prayed that when it snapped it was on the battlefield. Cerise never attacked anyone in the company, except in practice matches. He knew they were safe but she could be unpredictable when she was trapped for too long indoors.

“I see. Anything interesting?” Anxo coolly scanned his own terminal. His contact in the Andromeda Initiative kept him appraised of any goings on there. Lately they’d been super quiet, which worried him. He’d bring it up to Cerise if he didn’t hear anything back in a few more days. Normally he heard from them once a week, but it had almost reached the one week mark with only silence.

“Nope. That weapons merchant going to Elaaden declined our contract. We’re too expensive.” Cerise waved her hand airily. Anxo shook his head at the stupidity. The merchants all knew that while they charged rates that were more than the going rate, but they got the superb service in exchange. Merchants never had to worry about the Serpents turning on them and leaving them for dead in the Elaaden desert or in the middle of a blizzard on Voeld.

“Their loss.” Cerise agreed with his assessment. She clicked on another email and tilted her head in confusion. Anxo saw her moving her head back and forth as if trying to puzzle out something. “Is there anything wrong Cerise?”

“No. Just trying to figure out if this position is plausible or if they got a contortionist or something.” Anxo snapped his head towards her terminal and scurried over. That tone was subtle humor as if she was trying to hold back laughter. She never had that tone unless it was truly humorous. The screen had a rather buxom looking asari on it, the photo obviously manipulated, and she was apparently in a complex position. Anxo found it hard to find adequate words to describe the picture. It was an asari and an angaran man obviously. The asari’s legs were up past her head, hands grasping her ankles, as the angaran man entered her. “It just… I dunno. That looks like it hurts.” Cerise grasped for the right words as she fought down the bubble of laughter in her chest. She didn’t know why it was so funny, but the picture induced a fit of laughter. She was never one for watching porn, even back in the Milky Way. Images like the one currently in her email only made her giggle like she was still a teenager.

“Is that what an angaran looks like naked?” Anxo murmured out of curiosity. “Yeah.” They both froze as the word registered with the two of them. A beat of awkward silence passed between them. Silver eyes locked with dark green, one had amusement and the other held horror. “You don’t tell _anyone_ what you just heard.” Cerise grumbled as Anxo fought hard not to laugh. They all had their suspicions about their boss and the Resistance leader, sparks practically flew between the two of them when they were in a room together.

“I won’t tell a soul Ryder.” Anxo patted her head as she swatted at him, but he’d already gotten out of arm’s reach. She deleted the email and another caught her attention. The subject line read: _Urgent Mission Brief._ She called out to Anxo but he was already gone, no doubt to inform Trixa or Jusca of what she just said, and she huffed in irritation. Her fingers tapped the few keys needed to open the email and she read the first few lines.

 _Ryder,_  
_It would seem we left with harsh words after our last meeting. I did not mean to question your honor. I know you hold it in high esteem and I should have known better than to bring it into doubt. I was not in a frame of mind for rational thought. Please accept my humblest apologies._  
_Evfra_

Cerise cupped her chin in her hand as she leaned over the terminal. That email certainly did not sound like Evfra. He was a lot more overbearing than that, especially when it came to the her and her company. Nothing about it screamed off to her though, and she wondered how she should reply. Cerise thought back to the events and wondered if she had anything to apologize for. She didn’t _think_ so, but there was no telling what temper and pain combined had made her say.

 _Evfra,_  
_I accept that apology. On the condition that you accept mine. I was also not in a pleasant frame of mind given the circumstances. I don’t want words spoken in a haze of anger and pain to cast a shadow over the partnership we have. So please accept my apology for my words, I was not in a clear state of mind. I should not have lashed out as I did._  
_Cerise_

Cerise hit Send and wondered if she’d get a reply. She did feel bad about yelling at him. The wince crossed her face as she remembered the words exchanged. Yeah, she was never the best when she was injured. The filter that normally kept her in control left her when pain befuddled her brains. Cerise pushed back from her desk and wandered to the lounge for a snack. Anxo entered the office with Lister beside him. They were discussing a job that Lister had recently completed.

“I was shocked the shuttle was nothing but women! They’d been captured by pirates and were going to be sold as slaves to some of the scavenger pilots.” Lister saw Anxo’s grimace and knew the disgust was mirrored in his own face. It was too reminiscent of slaver raids in the Terminus systems back in the Milky Way. The ding at Cerise’s computer grabbed their attention. Lister perked up as he saw the sender.

“Don’t you dare.” Anxo warned him. “She will murder you.” Lister shrugged and sat down in her chair. He hunched over the keyboard and opened the inbox.

“Ooohhh. It’s from Evfra.” Lister’s tone reminded Anxo of a child drooling over the last piece of candy in a chocolate shop. “Let’s see what it says!” Anxo lurched forward to stop the man, but he’d already opened it.

 _Cerise,_  
_You are not under any obligation to apologize. Your reaction was justified, considering my own. I wonder, perhaps, if you’d allow me to make up for it?_  
_Evfra_

“Whoa! It sounds like he’s asking the boss on a date!” Lister practically danced in the chair with mischief. Anxo slapped his shoulder to calm the man down. It wouldn’t be good if Cerise heard him and came in to investigate. She’d skin them both alive for invading her privacy. He wasn’t being figurative either. They’d be feeling the burn from her temper for months after if she caught them at her terminal. Anxo saw Lister’s fingers fly over the keyboard and he hissed at him.

“What are you doing? You idiot! She’ll _know_ something is up!” Anxo felt his heart race nervously in his chest, as if it was in a marathon. There was a very good reason that Cerise was the leader of their little band of soldiers, and that was because she was fucking _scary._ She had a temper that could blow hot or cold depending on the situation and Anxo did not care to be on the other end of it. Dickson’s memory, or rather what had happened to him, sent a shudder down Anxo’s back.

“Loosen up.” Lister told him as he typed up the email to send. He was about to send it when the cough at the door froze his finger in place.

“Now what would you two charming individuals be doing at my terminal?” Cerise asked with a deviously sweet tone. She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed loosely across her chest. Anxo felt his heart fall to his knees at the cool look on Cerise’s face. Lister felt sweat slide down his back as his eyes searched her face for signs of temper. His gut was telling him to abort mission but his body jerked in reaction and his finger hit the send key. The two men froze in horror as they realized what he had just done. Lister sent a quick prayer that Cerise didn’t figure out what he did.

“Ah. Just checking your email boss. Anxo told me you got a pretty raunchy photo earlier.” Lister tripped over his own tongue. Cerise merely arched one eyebrow at him.

“You both have ten seconds to clear out of my desk.” Cerise smiled sweetly at them as she straightened and stepped to the side to avoid the whirlwind of limbs and bodies to go past. She hadn’t even finished her sentence before they disappeared. She hadn’t realized that Lister had actually _sent_ the email until the gentle ping behind her startled her out of her thoughts. Her entire body froze at the soft echo in the office, her fists clenched as anger swept through her. It was ruthlessly leashed back by years of discipline, and she sat down at her chair to evaluate the damage. Cerise made a mental note that she may have to kill them later, depending on the damage done.

 _Cerise,_  
_Are you well? Your last email didn’t sound like you. I don’t know what this ‘date’ thing is. Will you clarify this term?_  
_Evfra_

Cerise shrieked for Lister, but he’d been smart and headed for the port with Anxo behind him. Trixa poked her head in to see the depth of trouble her lover was in. She was treated to a tirade of blistering curses and threats that almost peeled her carapace back. A few words registered and she began to piece it together.

“So. Lister sent an email to Evfra that indicated you wanted to go on a date with him?” “Yes! The jackass!” “Cerise. I don’t think it’s as bad as all that.” “It’s _worse!_ ” Trixa’s mandibles flickered in amusement as Cerise slammed her head onto the desk in irritation. She resisted the urge to snort when the grumble of pain reached her.

“Why not give it a chance?” Trixa asked plainly. Cerise snapped her head up and rapped her chin on the desk in her haste, yelping in response. “Spirits boss. Easy. You’d think I threatened to feed you to live snakes.” Cerise crossed her arms and tilted back in the chair.

“It’s complicated.” Cerise murmured as she stared at the terminal screen. Trixa nodded, she’d understood _that_ much about it. “The Roekaar would find a way to twist it to their advantage. Gain more people for their mindless cause. All because the Resistance leader dared show an interest in one of the aliens. And not just any alien.” Cerise held up her finger to emphasize her point. “But an alien from _Kadara_ of all things. A mercenary. Leader of a mercenary company.” She ticked off the points that could be used against him.

“But are there any downsides for you?” Cerise looked at Trixa and snorted.

“I’ve got enough to deal with on Kadara. Could you imagine if Sloane found out I was in a relationship with the Resistance leader? Imagine what that would do to the residents at the port?” Cerise tilted back in the chair and shook her head. “I can’t predict what the local angara would do, but I’ve got a pretty good idea about how the Milky Way species would react.” Cerise rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“You have thought about this boss.” The words were soft and filled with concern. Cerise waved it off. She had given it a lot of thought, she’d just never put it into so many words.

“No matter my feelings on the matter. There is too much at stake in Andromeda to get involved further than I already am.” Cerise straightened in the chair as Trixa coughed out a laugh.

“Just how involved are you Cerise?” “Smartass. You saw me that day.” “Oh. Those were from him? I thought you’d had a run in with an adhi.” Cerise snorted at the innocent tone. The turian knew full well those bite marks hadn’t come from an adhi.

“I understand you wanting to be careful boss. But, I gotta give you my two cents, as you humans like to say.” Cerise rolled her eyes but grinned to soften the blow. She appreciated Trixa’s advice as it was rarely given, but always helpful. “Take a chance. Reach for a little happiness.” Cerise blew out a breath. She figured that’s what Trixa would say, but she still didn’t know if she could. The hesitation came more from fear of getting involved with anyone, given her profession. There was always a chance one of the missions would be her last. She figured she’d used up most of her good karma from that shuttle crash.

“All right. I’ll send him an email back.” Cerise grumbled as she swiveled in the chair to face the terminal. “I demand privacy.” Trixa laughed as the words were tossed over the woman’s shoulder. The turian knew when to retreat and did so gracefully. Cerise thought long and hard about how to answer that email. Her fingers drummed over the desk in nervous rhythm and she puffed out a breath. She decided to go for honesty and see where that got her.

 _Evfra,_  
_I’m surprised that you of all people are unaware of what a date is. I shall do my best to break it down for you. A date is where two people who like each other go to a place of interest for an indeterminate period of time. Usually ends with kisses or a fist fight, depending on your idea of a good time. So, you know, we’d fail utterly at this._  
_Cerise_

She snorted at the email. She knew it was cheeky but that was how she dealt with situations. Humor. If he didn’t know that about her by now, well, they’d have to talk. She straightened with a rush of excitement at the soft sound of incoming email. Acting like a teenager, given everything she’d been through in Andromeda. But the feeling of buoyancy didn’t leave her as she reached for the keyboard to read the email.

 _Cerise,_  
_You are, as you say in your language, a smartass. You could come to Aya._  
_Evfra_

“Almost had me Tershaav. I know your precious Aya doesn’t allow outsiders to it. Certainly not a mercenary from Kadara.” She murmured as she traced the words on the screen with a fingertip. Longing sang through her blood as she wanted to go. Wanted to call his bluff, but she just couldn’t take the rejection. As tough and prickly as she was on the outside, she rarely let anyone in. She didn’t care to give anyone that kind of power to hurt her, and she realized Evfra could. He had the power to hurt her and she _hated_ it. A sigh rolled over her as she strove to find a way to keep it light hearted. She wanted to spend time with him that didn’t involve getting shot at, which surprised her. Cerise never would have pegged herself for a sentimental type, but that was exactly what it was playing out to be. “Guess there’s one soft spot left in me huh?” Her lips turned up into a warm smile as she looked at the email. A smile full of warmth and promise. As rare as the sun on Voeld. She knew she’d fall back on humor, it was just her way.

 _Evfra,_  
_But it’s a nice ass at least. As for Aya I’ll decline. There are too many variables to consider. Perhaps when the Roekaar are not considered as big a threat and when this mysterious Archon is dealt with. Then I’ll come to Aya._  
_Cerise_

Cerise knew her conditions were impossible. Perhaps it would put into perspective. She wouldn’t belong on his precious Aya any more than he’d fit in on Kadara. Cerise wondered if there was some middle ground and her mind wandered back to Havarl. Her body heated at the memory of that night, blood rolling thick and heavy through her body. She looked and saw he’d already replied. _That was quick._

 _Cerise,_  
_Yes, it is. I accept your terms for visiting Aya for now, and I will not push. Your stubbornness is well known to me. In the meantime, I will find some time to visit Havarl. Perhaps you could meet me there tomorrow?_  
_Evfra_

Her jaw dropped at his reply. He was actually going to be on Havarl tomorrow. She looked over her omni-tool and scanned it for any missions. She was clear for the next week. Her fingers were a whirlwind of movement as she accepted his invitation to visit Havarl. Cerise only hoped she would not regret it later. Though something told her she wouldn’t regret it at all. Giddiness rose in her as she realized she’d get some time to spend with Evfra without missions, contracts, or bullets. Armor was still going to be worn, she was not fool enough to trust Havarl. She raced down the hallway, yelling for Trixa to make sure a shuttle was ready for tomorrow, much to the turian’s amusement.


	14. 14*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the infamous date chapter! Just what is up Evfra's sleeve? 
> 
> There's also a debut appearance at the end of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by the lovely [Hashtag-sarahsart](http://hashtag-sarahsart.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!
>
>>  
>> 
>> [View post on imgur.com](//imgur.com/4bFjH04)  
> 

“You know. I’m not sure how he’ll take it if you bring a gun to the first date.” Lister grinned as he leaned over Cerise as she was double checking her Eagle. Her lips thinned in an expression of barely restrained annoyance as she tipped her head back to glare at him. He had a wide grin on his face, oh he was enjoying this. It would just be a little punch, wouldn’t mess up his face too badly. Trixa wouldn’t mind, much. The act would be entirely justified in Cerise’s mind. Cerise curled her lip in warning but was saved from giving him an earful by Jusca walking in.

“Cerise. Shuttle checks out. You’re good to go.” The krogan saw the tension snap between Lister and Cerise and knew what was the cause. Her lips pulled back in a wide grin as she decided to join in the gentle ribbing. “Come on boss. Don’t you have any fancy clothes? You know those dress things you humans wear.” Cerise whipped her head to face Jusca with a retort dancing on the tip of her tongue.

“You two leave Cerise alone. She’ll just make sure to give you the crap job details if you push her too far.” Trixa warned as she looked up from her position in the corner, cleaning her sniper. Lister sent her a teasing grin before turning his attention back to Cerise.

“You wouldn’t do that would you, boss?” “I’d send you straight to Voeld.” Lister shuddered at the memory of that wind biting through his armor. He held up his hands in surrender and backed off. Cerise stood and holstered the Eagle. She debated taking the Valkyrie, Havarl wasn’t exactly the most hospitable planet. She shook her head and instead programmed her assault turret to compensate for her lack of an assault rifle.

“Cerise is smart. Unlike you, Lister.” Anxo piped up from the hallway. “Havarl is still dangerous. Not just the Roekaar but the native fauna that have a fondness for the taste of flesh.” Anxo reminded him. Lister’s lips split into a cocky smirk as he looked down at Cerise. She eyed him suspiciously, he could almost see the hackles rise as a warning flashed in her eyes.

“All right. I’ll leave the boss alone.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as he walked off to drop down next to Trixa. Jusca chuckled as she knew this would kill Cerise, to not know what Lister was up to. Cerise headed to the door and turned to see her quartet of friends standing behind her.

“Okay. Now what are the rules?” Cerise lifted an eyebrow as Lister rolled his eyes.

“No wild parties.” He grinned as her eyebrow lifted in irritation. He enjoyed heckling the boss, she was so much fun to get a rise out of. Her face would turn just the brightest shade of red when she was shaking with barely controlled rage. “No blowing up the headquarters. And don’t try to race adhi again.”

“If you do, Trixa is patching up your ass this time Lister.” Jusca grumbled as she remembered the time that Lister and one of the other soldiers had attempted to domesticate adhi. They’d heard the Collective were attempting something similar and the two had walked away with a few bite marks in unmentionable places. Jusca had been tasked with patching them up since she was the only one on call with medical experience at the time. She had not been pleased with patching up Lister’s ass cheeks. Lister grinned at Jusca.

“Hey at least mine was better looking than Grayson’s.” The krogan snorted as she turned to Cerise and watched the human in concern. It was rare to see Cerise open up to anyone but the four of them. It had taken her months to trust them and now she was going to trust this stranger. Though, Jusca gave Evfra credit. The man ran a tight ship, expected loyalty from his people, and had a hard life. The two were strangely similar in that way. The human and angara both fighting for a place in the galaxy, but that was where the line was. They fought for different purposes. Cerise fought because she was paid to do so, and Evfra fought to free the kett from the galaxy. They often butted heads because Cerise wouldn’t help out more with the kett, but even then Jusca understood Cerise’s position. The Serpents had a limited payroll, just thirty people, and Cerise knew each one of them by name. A single angaran soldier, while painful and devastating to the Resistance, could never begin to compare to a single Serpent life. Each person played their part in the company and one death tipped the balance within the company. Cerise kept it running but she didn’t take unnecessary risks. The kett were one species she didn’t mind taking on, when the circumstances were favorable.

“Trixa. Keep that meathead under control while I’m gone, would you? I don’t want to worry he’s bringing the building down around his ears while I’m on Havarl.” The turian saluted Cerise and slung her arm around Lister’s shoulders.

“You got it boss. Enjoy Havarl. I’m told the sunsets are beautiful there.” Trixa’s mandible flickered in amusement as Cerise heaved a put-upon sigh. She’d never hear the end of it from them. Cerise headed to her shuttle and double checked the nav points. The points put her down near the outpost she’d been taken to after the shuttle crash. The site was relatively clear of Roekaar, but that had been a few months ago.

The shuttle touched down with a small groan and Cerise reminded herself to double check it when she got back. She looked out the viewing window at her surroundings. The lush jungle surrounded the landing site limited her view. Thick grown trees and underbrush made it impossible to see more than thirty feet in front of her. She took off the armor and under suit. She wasn’t going to show up fully armored, but her pistol never left her side. That was one precaution she wasn’t willing to sacrifice on. Cerise blew out a breath and stepped down from the shuttle to head to the point Evfra had sent her. She looked up at the incline and groaned with a mixture of annoyance and awe. The incline didn’t look steep, but there was only one way to find out. The hike wasn’t strenuous on her body but the humidity on Havarl had sweat sliding down her back as she climbed up the hill. She’d be damned if she’d give it up until she got to where Evfra wanted her to be. The sounds of the planet sang to her as she walked up. Cerise knew the planet was beautiful, and she wished she could take the time to explore it fully. Likely the local angara wouldn’t be too pleased to see a human sniffing around their precious outposts. She also knew that the beauty hid the deadly aspects of the planet.

 _Jeez! How far is this place?_ Cerise groaned to herself as she hauled her weight up to the top of a ledge. Her elbows helped leverage her weight up and over the top of the cutoff with a puff of air. She straightened and turned to look out over the valley. The sight that greeted her at the top knocked the breath out of her. All her irritation was wiped out as the beauty registered in her mind. “It’s beautiful.” The sun was hanging well above the horizon and cast everything in sparkling, crystal clear daylight. The science outpost was in full view and Cerise saw the bustle of activity there. Scientists scurrying in and out of the lab, taking notes, and the animated discussions between them, full of dramatic hand waving, was all in view from where she stood. The valley stretched far and wide, thick green trees stretched up and together. Like lovers clasping hands, they blanketed the forest floor with darkened shadows. The flying beasts in the sky cast moving shadows over it all. The ripples of the shadows created a hypnotic dance over the landscape as her eyes swept it.

“I see you are admiring the beauty that Havarl has to offer.” The quiet voice broke her from her thoughts as she turned her face up to see Evfra next to her. Her heart hammered in her chest as his profile outlined against the Havarl sky. She was always struck by the strong lines of his face. It was a face that knew death, but was softened by the knowledge of life and happiness. Her blood hummed in her body as she drank in this view. Nothing about his face should have appealed to her, it was too foreign to her. Except, Cerise found herself intrigued by the foreign aspects of his face. His neck flaps were a constant curiosity, she wondered if it felt good when she touched them. Her hand wanted to reach out and test it, but she clenched her fist to stop it. Things were still too unsure between them for casual touch, though she knew emotions and touching were a big part of the angaran culture. His face turned towards hers and their eyes met for an electric second. He broke the contact to look down at her attire. “You are wearing your pistol?” The confusion in his voice broke her out of her reverie and she stifled the snort of laughter.

“I don’t trust Havarl.” Evfra merely rolled his eyes. “What? All of this beauty.” Her arm swept out to the valley to indicate her point. “Hides any danger that lies here.” Cerise had to remind herself that she was not there to argue and swallowed down the urge to explain herself. Cerise inclined her head to look at him. “Why did you invite me out here?” Cerise wanted to ask Evfra what that date email had said, her terminal had not saved it in the sent folder. The need to know what it said ate at her, and Lister had not been cooperative in gaining any information.

“You have seen nothing but the harshness of this galaxy.” Evfra began and looked down at the human. She had that mulish expression on her face that clearly meant she wanted to argue, but she remained silent. “You declined the invitation to Aya. I thought Havarl a suitable substitute.” He saw the explosion in her eyes a second before it snuffed out.

“Evfra, that invitation wasn’t sincere, was it? It’s Aya.” Cerise asked bluntly. She had to know if the invitation had been sincere. It wouldn’t change her answer, but it would make a world of difference in her heart. She took a step back at the thunderous expression on his face.

“You think my words are not sincere?” His voice clouded with offended indignation. Cerise held up her hands to ward off any further yelling.

“I shouldn’t have doubted you. I know. I just.” Cerise blew out a breath as she grasped in her mind to find the right words. “I didn’t want to give it hope if it had just been a joke. I know that the angara guard Aya against all outsiders.” Her voice was thick as the lump lodged in her throat. He’d invited her to Aya, she knew how much he treasured that planet. Cerise also knew she couldn’t go as long as aliens were kept from it. She wanted to clear the air between them. It was too precious to her, what they had. His eyes looked down at her and he sighed in exasperation.

“And I should remember that you deal with Kadaran pirates.” Evfra realized that lying would be all she was used to. He knew what Kadara was like, he’d seen it many times. Anyone would be warped by the atmosphere there, made to doubt even the most sincere of words. “Come.” Evfra stepped back and she peered around him to see what was there.

Cerise kept the grin off her face. It was a stupidly giddy smile but she didn’t think Evfra would think of it that way. The basket was sitting a few feet away from them, at least Cerise thought it was a basket. “A picnic?” She peered up at him in question.

“I have no idea what that word means. But we still have to get to the location.” Evfra walked over to the container and hefted it with one hand. Cerise followed along behind him.

“A picnic is an old Earth custom. Eating outdoors.” Evfra nodded as that sounded appropriate. The angara had a similar word for it. The trail slowly became steeper and Cerise turned her head to see the surrounding view. She could see their target, which was likely the plateau up ahead them. She was currently enjoying the view from her vantage point. An impish grin danced across her lips as she watched Evfra move in front of her, she had no qualms enjoying what was presented to her. Besides, she could get away with it while he couldn’t see her face. The hike to the picnic spot took a half hour and Cerise knew her legs were going to scream at her the next morning. As fit as she was that incline was killer. Though it gave her time to collect her thoughts regarding the angara in front of her. She had to decide if she was willing to trust him or not with whatever it was between them. The relationship between them was still fragile, and she wanted to treasure it. For as long as it lasted.

“We are here.” Evfra murmured as they crested the hill, turning back to offer her a hand up. The sun was beginning to lower on the horizon, casting deeper golden hues over the jungle. Cerise accepted his hand while she wondered if they’d be able to make that hike down in the dark. He tugged gently as she stepped up over the ledge, causing her to trip. Her other arm shot out to the side to balance herself as she fell against his side with a small grunt. Her face was pressed against his _rofjinn_ , the soft fabric tickling her cheek. His scent enveloped her as she pressed her cheek against the garment. Her eyes closed to savor the moment before she pulled back. Her head swung around, golden hair swinging into her face, as she looked towards the picnic grounds.

The soft sound of pleasure rolled over him as she spotted the small building. It was normally used for observing the sun’s cycle in Havarl’s sky but it had been abandoned for a few weeks. He’d taken advantage of the lull in scientific needs to satisfy his own. The delighted look on Cerise’s face made it worth it. Her eyes were shining and the smile softened her appearance. She looked unguarded for a few blissful seconds before she met his gaze.

“I was wondering how we’d attempt that hike in the dark.” Cerise laughed and he felt the smile crease his face as he motioned for her to go ahead.

“You may still attempt the hike. I advise against it.” Evfra murmured as the door swished open in front of them. She’d be staying the night, the thought sent warmth pooling in her lower belly. The thought of waking up with him, sleeping next to him, was a welcome warmth in her body. Cerise stepped into the cool air of the prefab and looked around. It was a simple building, sparse furnishings in the front. Evfra brushed past her to put the basket down in the living room. The door to the side opened automatically and what she saw in that room had her interest piqued.

“Wait a minute. Is that?” Cerise leaned to the side as the door slid closed.

“Is it what?” Evfra murmured as he turned from his task. He saw the human head towards the bathroom and shook his head at her curiosity. The earsplitting squeal startled him from his task and he rushed into the bathroom. “Cerise, are you?” Whatever words he was going to say were cut off at the sight before him. The petite human mercenary was practically dancing from foot to foot with a giddy smile on her face.

“There’s a bathtub!” His annoyed look registered with her and she blew out an equally annoyed breath. “I haven’t had a decent bath since we left the Milky Way! Showers. That’s it! This is amazing!” She waved her arm very enthusiastically towards the bathtub, already full of steaming water. The laugh rose inside him until his shoulders shook from it. “Oh yeah. Laugh all you want. I’m not sharing.” Her arms crossed under her breasts as she glared up at him.

“Oh, I think you’d enjoy sharing. It’s amusing to see your enthusiasm over this.” The warm tug between her thighs told her she’d enjoy it as well. Cerise glared at him before she relaxed. She knew she’d made a spectacle of herself over the bathtub. “Would you like to see the sunset?” Cerise looked up at him with a warm smile lighting her face.

“Yeah. I’d like that.” She accepted the offered hand, starting at how big his hand was compared to hers. She smiled up at him as he led them outside as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. The blanket was spread out on the ground facing the direction on the sunset. She settled down on the blanket, crossing her legs in front of her. She started as he sat behind her, one arm going around her waist to pull her against his body. Warmth spread through her and she felt the crack around her heart. Oddly, she didn’t panic. His body warmth was too comforting as she stared up at the dark crimson that was Havarl’s sky. Her arms came up to rest against the one wrapped around her. Cerise settled her head against his chest and felt a rumble in his chest as her body relaxed into him.

No worrying about jobs, no worrying about raiders attacking the base, all her concerns melted away as she watched the sun set on the Havarl horizon. This was comforting and she needed it. The crimson rays melted into darker purple hues that signaled the coming night. She smiled as she watched it, listening to the sounds of Havarl change from daytime to nighttime. The chirping and clamor of the day settled down to the lull of the night. “Look.” She followed his hand as he pointed at the sky and she laughed in surprise. The meteor shower danced across the darkening sky to her surprised delight.

“Shooting stars.” Cerise murmured in wonder and turned her head to glance behind her. “I don’t know if it’s the same here but back on Earth we had a silly tradition. In the Citadel, we’d never see meteor showers like this, but we saw it when we moved back. Colin and I would see a meteor shower and make a wish on the first star we’d see. He was such a goofball.” The smile on her lips was bittersweet and Evfra noticed the shadow that entered her eyes.

“You miss him.” It wasn’t a question. Cerise nodded as she leaned back to look up at the sky. The comforting beat of his heart soothed her.

“I do. I think it would be easier if I _knew_ something, anything about what happened to the ark. We don’t know anything about the Hyperion. It’s just… Gone.” Cerise murmured as she played some of her favorite memories of her brother. His arm tightened around her waist and she turned in surprise.

“I understand.” Evfra rested his chin on top of her head as he kept her close. He did understand the pain. He told her of the day his family was abducted by the kett. Silver eyes softened with sadness as she reached up to cup his cheek. The calloused fingers stroked gently against his cheek, and he grabbed her wrist to keep them there. They’d both suffered in different ways, and now they would begin to heal. Cerise felt her heart pick up as he turned his face into her palm. “Come. It gets colder at night here in Havarl.” Evfra tightened his arm around her waist, picking her up as he rose. She squealed at the sudden loss of solid ground.

“A little warning next time!” She laughed as he carried her, one armed, into the building. He tossed her onto the large bed there while she still laughed. She bounced on the fluffy mattress, sending the sheets flying up. Her laugh abruptly ended on a moan when a warm weight settled over her. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he joined her on the bed. “So, watching a sunset and meteor shower wasn’t all you had planned then?” His lips buried against her neck in answer.

“You talk too much.” His hands slid under her shirt, over the taut muscles there, to cup her soft breasts. Her back arched on a long drawn out moan as he pinched her nipples through the fabric of her bra. The tank top was ripped off as he needed to feel her skin. The bra soon followed, and he stared down at her naked torso. The wicked gleam in her eyes intensified as she arched her back on purpose to show off her breasts. “You would tease me?” Her sparkling laugh was his answer as she toed off her boots.

“Maybe. Maybe you need someone to tease you more often.” Cerise grinned as she grabbed onto the front of his shirt and pulled him down, startling him with her strength, and pressed her lips against his. This was what she’d wanted all day, this drowning in him. Heat curled through her body as she softened underneath the hard lines of his body.

“Minx.” Evfra growled against her throat as his lips nibbled the sensitive skin there. His hands went to her leggings, pulling them down and finding only bare skin underneath. “You…” He pressed his forehead to hers as he realized she’d been bare all day.

“Yep.” She turned her face to trail kisses along the scar on his face. She felt his hands tighten on her waist. Cerise moaned as his hands dipped between her thighs. “I can’t be the only one naked here.” Cerise murmured against his throat as she tugged at his armor.

“No.” Evfra trailed kisses down her neck until he reached her breasts. “You will come apart first.” Her nipple pearled under his gaze, her head fell back as his mouth closed over it. His thumb stroked her clit at the same time. A keening cry erupted from her throat at the pleasure tightening in her belly.

His blood hummed in his body as he felt her body move under him. A wicked thought popped into his mind as he let the bioelectric current concentrate in the thumb circling her sensitive nub. Not enough to harm, but to enhance her pleasure. The shocked cry wrought a grin from him. “What was that?” Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she leaned up on one elbow to look at him.

“All angara have bioelectrical currents in our bodies. We learn at an early age how to control it.” Evfra murmured as he brushed his lips against her navel. The reptilian tattoo moving as she did. He groaned as her hands pressed against the skin around his head. Her skin was warm under his lips, moving as her body squirmed at the pleasure burning in her blood. “It can be used to enhance pleasure during mating.” Evfra reached the apex of her thighs, his breath puffing over her mound.

“Oh gods. Please.” Cerise pleaded as she widened her legs to give him better access. He let his hands slid under her to cup her ass as he closed his lips over her clit. She screamed out his name as he sucked. The pleasure coiled tight within her as she felt her orgasm build. He slid one finger into her wet core, pressing up against a sensitive spot. He concentrated the current to that spot and was rewarded as he felt her body go taut under him. The cry echoed off the walls as she felt the climax rip through her in waves.

Evfra felt her walls clench around his finger. He slid up her body until he captured her lips with his. Cerise groaned as her body went limp under his. “Now?” Cerise murmured as she grasped at his shoulders. Desperation colored her voice as she needed him in her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“After.” She cried out in protest as he straightened away from her. A shiver slid down her body at the loss of his body heat, but he soon scooped her up. “I seem to recall you were fascinated by this.” Evfra murmured against her forehead as he took her into the bathroom.

Her eyes lit up at the promise of a bath. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her grinning face into his shoulder. “Am I taking it alone?” She squealed as he lowered her over the tub and then dropped her in. The tub was deeper than she’d expected as her head went under. The water splashed over the edge, and her shrieking laugh pinged off the walls as her head broke the surface. “You jerk!” Cerise wiped the water out of her face and slicked back her hair. He slid in next to her, hissing at the hot water. She saw a few new scars on his body as she slid over to him, and straddled his hips. The tub had an underwater bench to make it easier for the angara to bathe. His hands stroked her back through the water and she grinned at him.

“So, is this going to be a getting clean bath?” She leaned closer to his face, pressing close to him. “Or a fun bath?” She purred against his face as she pressed teasing kisses along his jaw. The hands tightening on her hips told her all she needed to know. Her laugh bounced off the walls as he showed her what kind of bath it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 _Meanwhile in the Eriksson system_  
Lungs burned for air, dragging it into his lungs. He jerked up out of the stasis pod, his body tense from coming out of cryo. His silver eyes jerked open as he struggled to wipe the groggy cobwebs from his brain. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around at the stasis pod bay, seeing the activity bustling around him. He looked up as the doctors knelt next to him.

“We made it.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evfra gives the Serpents a mission to help extract the Moshae from the Voeld kett facility. Cerise is reunited with Colin finally. A brief reunion despite no words spoken between them. The mission always takes priority.
> 
> What will happen when Cerise finds out that Evfra knew about Colin being alive?

“Wait. You found the Moshae?” Cerise stared at the console in surprise. It had been about a month since their date on Havarl. Things seemed to have been busy on Aya as there had been little communication between the two of them. Cerise didn’t want it to sting but it had. Now she knew the reason why there had been little contact from Aya. If the Moshae had been found, that was huge news.

“Yes. We require your assistance in securing her. The Andromeda Initiative is sending a representative to Voeld to assist as well.” Evfra’s voice was brisk and Cerise tried not to let it bother her. Something was off in the way he spoke, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. He sounded reluctant and she briefly wondered if their business relationship would be at an end. She blew out a breath in irritation and ran an impatient hand through her hair. The mention of the Initiative pricked her interest though. When had the Initiative contacted Aya? Hell, no one was allowed on Aya aside from angara.

“The Initiative? Since when did they reach out to the Resistance?” Cerise stared down at the console as silence dominated. The silence was heavy as if she was being submerged in thick gel. She didn’t like it at all, the hairs on the back of her neck rose in apprehension. Every nerve in her body screamed that something wasn’t right, that he was hiding something from her. “Evfra. What are you not telling me?” Cerise demanded, agitation threading her voice. The nerves tightened her stomach in fear as she worried if he had bad news for her. She’d never been one for patience in getting to the heart of matters, and he knew that well. The fact he was drawing it out was telling indeed, and she felt her heart sinking at the possibilities that were coming.

“You will see when you get to Voeld.” Evfra told her flatly. “I need to see to these preparations.” The line went dead and cold swept through Cerise. She stared at the comm line, dark and unblinking. Dread filled her head with thoughts about what Evfra could be hiding. Nothing made sense except he was ready to sever the Resistance’s association with the Serpents. That meant he’d be ending their connection as well. It was as if the breath was punched out of her, the thought of losing him after they’d endured so much was panic inducing.

 _Stupid. So, stupid, you knew better than to let yourself care. Fool._ Cerise turned her head and closed her eyes to brace against the pain she felt. She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart and the nausea that churned her stomach. This feeling hadn’t hit her since the Nexus hit the Scourge. Her eyes squeezed tight to blot out those memories, she didn’t need to focus on them because then she’d be lost and useless for a few hours. Anxo rushed into the room, chest heaving as he’d bolted from the office upstairs.

“Cerise! I got an email from my contact in the Initiative!” Anxo put his hands on his knees to gather his breath. Cerise turned to face her second in command. “They said an ark arrived!” Cerise felt her stomach drop to her feet. Thoughts whirled through her mind as she heard a dull buzzing start in her head. The implications were astounding to her. Her brother could be there, her father could be on the Nexus. And she wasn’t allowed to step foot on the Nexus anymore. Cerise realized she would never see her brother or father unless they came to Kadara… First, she had to figure out which ark landed, it could be the asari or turian ark.

“Which one? Did they say which one Anxo?” Anxo shook his head. The despair clear in his eyes. Cerise knew he had family on the salarian ark, an older brother, and they both felt the other’s pain keenly. The frustration bubbled inside her chest at the feeling of uselessness. She wanted to punch something to get the restless frustration out. She rarely regretted her actions that sent her off the Nexus, but not having the information they sought, that made her question her decision.

“No. I’m sorry. They can’t contact me for a while due to increased security measures because of the ark docking. I’m sorry Cerise.” The blonde woman shook her head at his apology. It was more than they’d had before. Cerise steeled her heart against hope and she knew Anxo did the same regarding the salarian ark.

“It’s all right Anxo. I’m sure we’ll get news soon enough. The Resistance gave us a job on Voeld. They’ve located the Moshae at a kett facility on the planet’s surface.” Cerise told him. “Get the others. We’ll meet in the lounge to discuss the specifics of this mission before we decide who to send.” Anxo nodded and made his way to the exercise room to inform Lister and Jusca to meet in the lounge. Trixa heard Cerise’s call and followed the others. The turian was curious as to why Cerise would call the entire company into the lounge, though it was the only room big enough to fit the remaining members. She knew it had to be big, but she didn’t know how big.

“All right. Listen up.” Cerise told the team after they’d all gathered inside the lounge. “The Resistance has called in a big one this time. I just got the mission brief from Evfra.” She held up her omni-tool. “The Moshae is being held at this kett facility. We’re to help the extraction teams. The Resistance is counting on a huge pushback from the kett inside the facility but we don’t know anything as of yet.” Cerise explained as she waved her hand. “We were given a navpoint and instructions to make sure we work well with the Initiative and the extraction team. We’re basically the ones to pull the fire away from them so the Moshae can be extracted with as little resistance as possible.” The groans ricocheted off the lounge walls at the Initiative. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. None of us are big fans of the Initiative. This is still an important job and we won’t have to deal personally with the Initiative team.” Cerise warned the group. She echoed their sentiments but knew that this job was huge and would do much to put her company in a good light with the angara. Being a part of the Moshae extraction team, even as cannon fodder, would help ease their way for more merchant jobs.

“Now, that being said. We need to decide who is going.” Lister raised his hand as did Jusca. Trixa joined in and Cerise nodded. Telessari was on a mission so she wasn’t available for volunteering. “Let’s see. No biotics here now huh?” Anxo shook his head as he pulled up the duty roster.

“No Cerise. All our biotics are out on escort missions at the moment.” Cerise blew out an irritated breath and summoned patience. She needed to think this through clearly. The kett facility would pose a huge danger if she didn’t take the right strike team. Some of the angaran members of her company played well enough with the Resistance but not when the Resistance was calling the shots. She left them off as they needed to play nice this time. It was her own people she worried about when it came to the Initiative, she wasn’t sure how much say the Initiative was getting in this mission. Too much would chafe at her people, given how they had been treated by the organization already. Lister and Jusca were both excellent choices to take. Lister was a bit better at making those key decisions in the heat of battle, so Cerise filed him away as a potential squad mate. Evfra had explicitly mentioned her presence being required. The order annoyed her but she also knew better than to turn down something that could help raise their esteem in the angaran eyes. A ripe opportunity couldn’t be left to rot. Given she couldn’t help with getting the traitor out of the Kadaran prison thanks to her beef with Sloane.

“Right. Lister. You’re on this mission.” She saw him wince and simply raised one slim eyebrow.

“It’s Voeld boss. _Voeld._ ” The snort of disgust raised some chuckles out of the other members of the company. Everyone remembered just how much Lister enjoyed Voeld from his last mission there. He’d bitched for two straight weeks after it, even after Cerise told him to shut up. Her exact words had been: _Shut up you idiot! At least you weren’t shot!_

“You raised your hand. Seems to me you volunteered yourself and now I’m double sure I’m taking you.” Lister winced at her smirking tone. He cursed himself for raising his hand but he hadn’t expected it to be on fucking Voeld of all places. He’d rather be sent to Elaaden. “Seems we’ll be indoors for most of it. That should soothe you.” Cerise waved it off as the human nodded in answer. “Now. I’m not sure about what kind of tech we’ll encounter.” Cerise grumbled as Grayson stepped forward.

“Ryder. I’ve been studying kett tech for a while now. I’m pretty comfortable with it, if you need someone like that on the team.” Cerise wondered at his sudden need to join them. Grayson was in his late twenties, dark red hair, pale skin that was dotted with thousands of freckles, and he wasn’t as tall as the other humans with a rather scrawny build. She knew the others gave him crap for it, but the man was a genius when it came to tech and was one of the best technicians that the company had. Cerise knew he made a good, sound choice for the kett facility mission. She’d never been on a mission with Grayson before and that was the only thing that made her nervous. Going into the field with someone you hadn’t been with before was always a nerve wracking experience. She wasn’t sure of how he played on the field and how he responded to orders. Most of the missions were solitary or pairs, so there wasn’t much in the way of power plays going on. Cerise would be damned if she’d have anyone question her orders and Grayson would find out if he went against them.

“Fine. You get the chance to prove just how much you know your stuff Grayson. Get ready. We leave in two hours.” Cerise explained to them. “The rest of you be on standby. There’s no telling how this situation will go once we get boots on ground.” The company nodded. They all understood the seriousness of this mission. No one would question her orders and they could see the burden weighing down on Cerise.

“You got it boss. Want me and Jusca on shuttle standby to come pull Lister’s ass out of the fire?” “Hey!” Trixa turned and gave the turian’s equivalent of a grin at Lister’s offended yelp. Cerise chuckled and shook her head.

“No. Just remain on standby if the mission goes to shit. Someone has to help pull the Resistance out.” Cerise watched as Trixa nodded. Cerise and the two men went into the armory to get suited up. Anxo followed them and went over the minute details with Cerise.

“I’ve pulled up what the Resistance knows about this facility, which isn’t much mind you, and it seems to be a sprawling building. It seems angara are taken there and never seen or heard from again.” Cerise’s lips thinned into a grim line. She knew that was never good. Whatever was going on at the kett facility was bad. “I also found that the angara has a unique aspect to their physiology.” Her sharp eyes turned towards his wide and unblinking ones. “If they are deprived of sunlight, it seems their bodies weaken. Their immune systems become compromised and they will get weak. It’s like a slow death.” Anxo waved his hands as he spoke.

“Shit. The Moshae has been missing for a long time.” Cerise winced as she realized the implications this could have for the revered leader. Anxo nodded and Cerise propped a hand on her hip as she tried to think. “We have to succeed at this. It may be the last damn chance we get to save her.”

“My thoughts exactly Ryder.” Anxo nodded as he helped her snap the armor in place. He gave her an encouraging pat on the back before she headed over to Lister and Grayson. The trio headed out to the shuttle and Lister grinned at Grayson.

“You excited to head out with the boss?” The other human nodded slightly. Grayson was nervous to be going out in the field with Cerise. He’d seen her in action before, he wasn’t a blind fool. He knew she was a ruthless and merciless warrior. She was proficient at thinking on her feet in battle and he’d seen her come out victorious numerous times. It was one thing to see her on the battlefield, it was an entirely different scenario to be under her direct command. Lister saw the nerves in Grayson’s eyes and clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry yourself too much Grayson. The boss isn’t that bad.” They boarded and Lister set them off for Voeld. “Most of the time.” Lister grinned as he saw Grayson’s head snap towards him. “Shut up asshole.” Cerise kicked the back of Lister’s seat in irritation.

“You been to Voeld at all Grayson?” Grayson shook his head.

“No. I’ve never been.” Cerise eyed his armor and lifted an eyebrow at it.

“Lister. Make sure you give Grayson’s life support system a quick boost before we get out. He’ll need it.” “Roger boss.” The shuttle landed at the rendezvous point just outside the kett facility. Cerise saw the other shuttle land only a few feet away from theirs. The angaran soldiers hopped out and Cerise waved to them.

“Ah, the mercenaries. We welcome the help.” The captain inclined his head to Cerise who returned the gesture. “The Initiative is here. Their AI can help breach the shields. Can you get along?”

“There won’t be any trouble from us regarding the Initiative. We don’t let personal grudges get in the way of the mission.” Cerise explained and the captain nodded. He’d been told that when their word was given, these Milky Way aliens kept it. The past several months had shown the Resistance that. “Good. Thank you for your cooperation.” Cerise nodded in understanding again as they approached the shield.

 _“Ryder, approach the terminal and I will do what I can.”_ Cerise heard the familiar mechanical voice come through the man wearing the white Initiative armor’s omni-tool. That was SAM, the AI her father obsessed with and did he just say Ryder? Her shocked grey eyes looked over but she couldn’t have heard right. If that was Ryder, it had to be her brother. Their father was taller and broader than her brother was. He never wore anything but his N7 armor. She stiffened in apprehension as she waited to see what would happen. Lister and Grayson both stiffened beside Cerise as they heard the name as well. The angaran captain wasn’t paying attention. Cerise watched the man go over to the terminal and tap his omni-tool.

“Come on SAM, don’t embarrass me in front of our new friends.” Cerise felt her eyes burn at the oh so familiar voice. It was him. It was _Colin_. Relief warred with confusion in her mind. If Colin was there, then where was their father? Where was Alec Ryder? Why was SAM addressing Colin as if he were the Pathfinder? Her mind whirled with confusion as she tried to think about everything. There were too many unanswered questions. Cerise struggled to get the burning sensation under control in her chest, but her brother was right there. Out of everyone in her life, Colin had been the steady rock. They’d been together since birth and she’d been his protector as children. Then he’d been the one to shield her from the worst of their parents’ disappointment in her. And he had no clue who she was. She didn’t even know if he knew she was alive as Tann had probably told him she was dead. Lister placed his hand on Cerise’s shoulder as he saw how conflicted she was through her body language. The emotions were a raging hurricane through her. Relief, confusion, and grief all whipped into a frenzy inside of her body. She had to remain clear headed for this mission, her people depended on her. Cerise took a fortifying breath and wrestled the emotions into submission.

The shield broke and the teams moved forward. Cerise saw the flicker of movement against the snow, she turned with her pistol already out of its holster. _“Wraiths!”_ Grayson yelled out as the beasts uncloaked themselves to attack. The two were easily dispatched by the three teams.

“Excellent timing on that.” Cerise snapped her head around at the other familiar voice. She saw Jaal standing next to her brother with his hand resting comfortably on that broad shoulder. Cerise’s eyes narrowed suspiciously when it dawned on her. _That shit eating twatwaffle! He knew! He knew about Colin! No wonder he wanted me to come out here to this godforsaken planet!_ Cerise felt the rage claw at her rational side, red hazed her vision as her temper boil over. Her temper, when unleashed, could leave a scorched path in its wake. She rarely let herself lose her temper because she knew just how nasty it could be. Colin had been the one to help her get into a special program to channel her temper and gain the discipline to control it so it wouldn’t destroy her. All the discipline in the world couldn’t keep the flames at bay this time. The urge to punch something was overwhelming and her fists clenched around the grip of her assault rifle. The cold metal digging into her hand from the force of her grip. The coppery tang of blood filled her mouth as she unconsciously bit down on her cheek to try and keep her temper in check, but this was far from over. Though she preferred it to be _somebody_ and by somebody a certain angaran that kept the fact her brother was alive from her. She promised herself she would not let this rest and he’d get a piece of her mind when this was all over with. For now, she’d settle for shooting a shitload of kett.

“We have the element of surprise.” Colin looked back at the motley crew and the Resistance captain nodded. They filed in and kept low profiles as they looked out over the room. Grayson spotted the terminal with the Archon projection. It was spewing the kett language which was gibberish to the mercenaries as they didn’t have the effective translators.

“Boss. I can overload that and get the kett close to it.” Colin whipped his head around to look at Grayson.

“You can? Then let’s do it.” Grayson looked down at Cerise in amazement. He saw the human Pathfinder falter as Grayson looked at the woman instead of following his orders. Cerise nodded and gave him the signal for the go ahead. Grayson brought up his omni-tool and the projected image of the Archon blew up, sending the bits of metal into the surrounding kett. The others jumped in through the opening and took out the rest.

“Good job. But there’s a lot of kett. How are we going to get past them?” The Resistance captain grimaced as they knew they all had a mission. The Resistance squad needed to get information, the Pathfinder was going to rescue the Moshae. Cerise looked up at Lister and Grayson who had grim expressions on their faces. _Well this is what we came here for. Shouldn’t have expected anything else._ Cerise blew out an irritated breath before she stepped up.

“That’s what we’re here for. We’ll create the distraction so you can go as undetected as possible.” Jaal’s head snapped around as Cerise spoke to the Resistance captain. He hadn’t expected Evfra to send Cerise. This did not bode well. Jaal hoped that Evfra had told Cerise about Colin, but that seemed unlikely. He noticed the man next to him went deathly still. Liam looked over at Colin in concern as the Pathfinder stared at the woman in the black armor talking to the Resistance captain. “We’ll make some noise and drag their attention to us. That gives you some time to get your objectives.” Cerise grinned through her helmet. “It’s what we were sent here for after all.”

“Right. Thank you. This is a dangerous mission and we may not…” The captain began and Cerise waved her hand.

“Nah. Never jinx yourself on a mission. This galaxy hasn’t killed me yet and I’ll be damned if I let the fucking kett end me.” Cerise told the angara while Lister burst into laughter. Grayson went to work on the door and opened it. “Good going Grayson. Good luck.” She gave them a mocking salute over her shoulder before the doors shut behind her.

Colin jolted into action as he raced towards the door, but the lock flipped to red indicating it was locked again. A vicious curse left him as he slammed his fist into the metal. He was always a calm man, never given to fits of temper. This was jarring to the people he was with, they didn’t expect him to react violently. “Pathfinder! What’s the matter?” The Resistance captain looked at Colin in amazement. Liam stepped forward to offer some help. Colin swung back to Jaal and the angaran man looked uneasy at the look in those eyes, identical to his sister’s.

“You _knew?_ ” Colin demanded, his voice laced with outrage. He rarely got angry but he’d just found out his sister was alive. His emotions tangled inside him as he tried to gain a handle on his composure. Tears pricked his eyes as he looked at the door his sister had just walked through. She hadn’t spoken to him or even acknowledged him. He couldn’t figure out why! Tann had told him she was an exile and had probably died out in the Heleus cluster. Yet she’d walked away from him into what was certainly a suicide mission. The worry built inside him like a ticking time bomb and he whirled to face Jaal.

“I did.” Jaal didn’t think to lie. He couldn’t lie very effectively anyway. Liam looked between the two and sighed.

“We don’t have time for whatever this is. Wait until after we rescue the Moshae.” The angaran captain agreed. He and his team went another way to gather the intel Evfra requested for the Resistance. Colin and his team went to find the Moshae. They noticed the explosions and alarms echoing throughout the corridors. The kett had gone moving in one direction, the direction that Cerise and her team had gone.

“So, how exactly is this helping?” Lister yelled over the alarms blaring and the ammunition flying past their heads. They were crouched behind tentative cover as Grayson worked on a kett terminal.

“Well, the more kett focused on us the less on the Resistance.” Grayson piped up from his spot. He was trying to hack into one of the terminals next to where Lister was. Cerise had sent her assault turret out to distract the kett while she reloaded behind cover. She was lucky that her shields held up against some of the ammo, she’d been shot by one of those angaran weapons that dealt with similar ammo. She wasn’t too enthused about getting shot again.

“How much longer do you need Grayson?” Cerise watched as the kett were slowly gaining ground on them. She ducked as one of the rounds hit two inches from her face, the shrapnel splattering her visor. “Shit, shit, shit!” Lister snorted except one round pinged off his shield and he echoed the sentiment.

“Almost boss! Just one more and.” Grayson tapped a few buttons and suddenly the canisters behind the kett exploded. The aliens went flying towards them with the sheer force of the explosions. The alarms silenced, given them a brief reprieve.

“Good going Grayson.” Cerise peeked out from behind cover as she saw the corridor was empty. Corpses smoked from the fiery blast but they were unmoving. “Now we need to get going. We’re supposed to rendezvous at this point.” Cerise brought up the map and the soldiers nodded in agreement.

“Right boss. This ain’t going to be easy.” Lister rubbed the back of his helmet. Cerise nodded. It sounded like fucking suicide.

“When has it _ever_ been easy Lister?” Grayson flashed them a quick grin as the door opened. “Oh, fuck me.” Cerise growled as the kett rushed in. They dove for cover and each cursed as the kett opened fire again. They dispatched the kett quickly, it seemed to be mostly those Chosen cannon fodder. Those never posed much of a threat against their weapons, but their sheer number was what could turn the tide of a battle.

“Think we’ll make it in time boss?” Lister called over his shoulder as they bolted down the corridor. The kett were hot on their heels but the Resistance captain had come over the comms to let them know the facility was going to be blown up. The Pathfinder had given the order to blow up the facility. Well, the Pathfinder was an ass.

“Less talking and more running!” Cerise shouted as they turned the corner. “Fucking hell!” The three mercenaries saw the door slowly closing in front of them. Cerise tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool and slung her turret towards it. She sent a silent prayer to whatever deity was listening to let it catch the door. By some sheer force of divine luck, it stuck and prevented the door from closing all the way.

“Shit boss! Talk about some good luck!” Lister laughed as he and Grayson helped push the doors apart. They slipped through and Cerise called her turret back. The doors shut right as the kett reached them. The building began to rumble as explosions rocked it. Lister swore repeatedly as they raced towards the door to the outside. “Your brother is an ass!” The door to the outside wasn’t locked, thankfully, and they scrambled away from the facility.

“No need to tell me, you’re preaching to the choir there. Now, where’s our shuttle?” Cerise looked around as the icy wind whipped through their armor. They stood ankle deep in the snow, shivering, as the shuttle was nowhere in sight. “Fuck. Guess we used up all our good luck.” Grayson did his best to suppress the shivers as they headed in the direction of their shuttle. Even with all the upgrades Lister had haphazardly slapped onto his armor, the wind sliced through it like butter. His skin tingled and burned in some places from the sharp, frigid wind.

“Hey. Did you guys get what you needed?” She had her omni-tool by her face as they trudged in the snow towards where the shuttles were located. Cerise waited for the Resistance captain to answer.

“Yes. Thank you. The Moshae was rescued as well.” His voice sounded tight, like he was trying to keep his emotions in check. Cerise lifted her eyebrow but didn’t pry. She respected his right to privacy.

“We’re headed back to Kadara. I wish you luck.” Cerise told him as she cut their call. The shuttle came into view, the crimson coiled serpent standing out boldly against the ice on Voeld. Like fresh blood on the snow. The mercenaries bundled onto it and Lister got the engines started. “Lister… How long do those engines need to idle?”

“A few minutes. Why boss?” He turned his blue eyes to her. Cerise pointed to the facility and he saw some of the building being blown off. “Oh. We’ll skip it today.” He pushed the shuttle into the air and zipped them out of range.

“Fuck. That was a close call wasn’t it?” Grayson breathed as he took off his helmet. “I did manage to get some schematics of kett tech though.” He held up his omni-tool as Cerise threw back her head and laughed. Lister chuckled at Grayson’s quick thinking. This would come in _handy_ when dealing with the kett in the future.

“Good. We can use this to help better our own defenses.” Cerise flashed a toothy grin at her soldier. Grayson nodded at the praise, it filled him with pride to know he did a good job. His chest swelled but he also knew not to let it go to his head. Cerise appreciated good soldiers, but she always told them to leave their fucking egos at the door. They landed at the Serpent headquarters in a few hours and Anxo greeted them with an anxious look in his eyes.

“Cerise… There’s a call for you from Resistance HQ.” Cerise felt her stomach fall to her knees. Whatever the call was about, it certainly could not be good. She had a few things to say to Evfra but the nerves churned her stomach. She hadn’t anticipated him calling her first.

“Right. Thanks, Anxo. I’ll take it in the office.” Anxo nodded and watched as Cerise strolled up the steps, still in her armor. She pulled the hood off her head and pulled up the comm channel.

“That was prompt.” His smooth, familiar voice surrounded her. Cerise savored it as she had a sinking feeling in the back of her mind. Internally she braced herself for the worst.

“Well, we just landed on Kadara. Congrats. I heard the mission was successful from your end as well.” She could almost see him pause and nod. “What is it that you want Evfra?” Her voice didn’t hold any bite or heat, she was simply curious.

“It is about our alliance.” The ringing in Cerise’s ears began as she felt a lump lodge in her throat. Her stomach twisted in a knot. “With official contact with the Initiative it would seem our alliance is going to be at an end.” Cerise expected it, but the news still hit like a solid blow to her stomach. The breath was knocked out of her body and she struggled to maintain her composure. The hurt stung her eyes and she felt the grief lodge in her throat, making it impossible to talk with a clear voice. She _hated_ getting emotional, but it seemed this time it wasn’t anything she could do about it.

“I see. Thank you for letting me know.” Her voice was low as anguish laced her tone. Cerise straightened and focused on a spot on the wall, she’d always been able to keep a hold on her emotions if she could focus her attention somewhere. She wanted to slap back, desperately wanted to strike back and hurt like she was hurt. It wouldn’t do any good. Lashing out wasn’t going to bring their alliance back and she wanted to end it on an amicable note. “It was a pleasure doing business with you Evfra.” Cerise was pleased when her voice shook only slightly.

“Cerise.” He began but Cerise wouldn’t let him finish. Cowardly though it was, she just couldn’t handle anymore rejection. Seeing Colin had dredged up old hurts she’d thought she’d buried deep. And now with him leaving, it was as if they were open and bleeding again. Thousands of small cuts would bleed her dry if she let them. She refused to give in.

“I have to go now Evfra. Good-bye.” She cut the comm line and walked away from her desk. A gaping hole yawned in her chest as she thought of never getting to speak to Evfra as she did on Havarl. She didn’t regret their time together, and she’d treasure it. Cerise would take a few days to get her emotions in check and deal with what was now her reality. Kadara didn’t let you live if you were distracted by heart ache. Cerise strolled down the stairs with her eyes bleak and unfocused. She felt the misery pull at her and her eyes stung at the memories in her mind. She thought of all the happy times with him. The date in Havarl, that first night they’d been together in the science outpost. Cerise remembered his gentle way with the child, and the jab was like a knife to the ribs. She wasn’t fool enough to think of having a family, not in her line of work, but the small, foolish thought had been there. Now that was over. Anxo looked up as Cerise descended the stairs and headed towards the armory.

“What happened to the boss?” Lister looked at Anxo curiously. The salarian heave a sigh as he had guessed right it seemed. His own heart twisted for Cerise, he’d seen the dismal look in her eyes. Evfra had severed their business association, and it seemed, his personal one with Cerise.

“Our alliance with the Resistance is at an end.” Anxo watched as the human reeled back in shock. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Resistance has made contact with the Nexus. First official contact and all that bull.” Anxo waved his hand in irritation. “Having ties with exiles like us wouldn’t bode too well for a smooth alliance with them. It’s merely good business sense.” Anxo growled as he crossed his arms. “Even if it is disgusting. We’ve been loyal to them, kept our word to them even when opportunities arose to betray them. And this is how we’re repaid.” The disgust was evident in the salarian’s tone. He didn’t much care for how the Resistance just tossed aside their past and loyalty. If Anxo knew Cerise, she wouldn’t let anyone betray the Resistance either. It was the one time, he suspected, she’d let the insult slide.

“But. You mean? Just like that? He’s severing all contact with us like _that!?_ ” Lister roared in anger. He wasn’t so upset about the business arrangement but he wanted to punch the man for hurting Cerise like he did. Anxo shared Lister’s desire for blood, but he knew nothing would come of it.

“Yes. It seems it is just like that. Let’s hope the Initiative stays off Kadara.” Lister threw back his head and roared with laughter.

“What would the Initiative want with this place? The day the Initiative comes to Kadara is the day I’ll dance naked in the lounge.”

“Then I pray the Initiative never comes to Kadara.” Anxo answered drily as that set the human off again. They watched as Cerise came back from the armory and she looked up at them.

“Anxo, I’m going to have to rely on you to spread the word. The Resistance has ended our business arrangement. We no longer have any ties with them.” Her voice was devoid of any emotion. She looked weary of the world and done. Lister wanted to help Cerise, but he wasn’t sure how. Anxo nodded and told Cerise he would take care of it.

“Come on boss. Want a spar with me?” Lister asked with a grin on his face.

“Maybe some other time Lister. There’s a bunch of paperwork to do.” Cerise headed towards the stairs to the office once again and the two men stared after her in worry.

“It’s worse than we thought. She never wants to do paperwork…” Lister mumbled as Anxo nodded.

“Let her be. You know how Cerise is. She has to be by herself to work through her emotions.” Anxo reminded him as they went off to spread the word about the business arrangement between the Serpents and the Resistance was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And *drum roll* The Pathfinder makes his official appearance in the story. Colin will feature pretty strongly when the Kadara mission comes to play. So keep an eye out for him in later chapters.


	16. 16*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evfra didn't take too kindly to how their phone call ended. He's going to show Cerise that she can't dismiss him that easily.

Cerise was sitting at the table, enjoying her lunch, when one of her angaran mercenaries came rushing in. “Cerise. You might want to make yourself scarce. A Resistance shuttle just landed and my contact told me that Evfra was on it.” Cerise’s face scrunched up and she put down the sandwich. She ignored the slice of pain in her chest as puzzlement drowned it out. Evfra had no reason to come to Kadara, so why the hell was he on that shuttle?

“What? Why? What the hell does he want?” Cerise grumbled as she eyed her sandwich with regret. She doubted she’d get to enjoy it at this point, blast it all. “We ended our business relationship last week.” Cerise grumbled in a mix of irritation and barely disguised pain. The angaran looked nervous and she hissed out a peeved breath. “Fine. Clear out the building. Go have some drinks and food at Kralla’s or Tartarus. Put it on my tab. I’ll deal with this and hopefully it will be the last time we have any business with the Resistance.” Cerise told him. She hoped anyway, she couldn’t take any more pain without breaking. He got the others together and off they went. There was around fifteen of them, not counting her inner circle, that left the building. The others were all on jobs around the galaxy. The mercenaries all rushed out to go get drinks and dinner, it was rare that Cerise offered to pay their tabs at the two bars in the port. Jusca, Trixa, and Anxo were left. She turned to them with her fingers drumming on the table in impatience.

“You three aren’t going?” Cerise grumbled though she knew perfectly well why they were left.

“If you think I’m going to miss this, you are insane boss.” Jusca said as she leaned back in her chair. Cerise glared at the krogan as she knew this wasn’t going to be a pretty scene. She hadn’t expected Evfra to appear on Kadara though, after the last call it seemed final. Granted she had cut him off, but she just didn’t want to deal with the rejection. Cerise packed up her sandwich and put it in the refrigerator the Serpents had built.

“Come along Jusca. Let’s leave Cerise her privacy.” Anxo murmured as Jusca snorted. Cerise waved her hand to them as the salarian ushered Trixa and Jusca out of the building. She could always count on Anxo. Cerise sat down and waited for the inevitable, and she certainly did not have to wait long.

“Cerise!” His voice boomed in the quiet of the empty building. She jumped as it jolted her from the book she’d picked up to read. Her heart thudded in her ribcage in surprise but she wasn’t going to back down. Let him rage at her. Evfra stormed into the lounge room, and fury outlined his whole body. Cerise found herself responding to it, her body heating in anticipation, and cursed her own body. She stood her ground as his eyes met hers with a furious glare. Her own eyes mirrored the rage in his eyes, he’d been the one to end their business arrangement. _What is he so pissy about?_

“What do you want Evfra? Our partnership has been dissolved. You said it yourself.” Cerise told him with her lips curling into a snarl as he stormed towards her. She shrieked as he simply bent down and slung her over his shoulder like a weightless sack. “Put me down you ass!” Cerise pounded on his back as he turned towards her quarters. A sharp smack on her bottom stole her breath. _Did he just?_ Cerise twisted in his grip and pushed her hands against his back for leverage. “Put me the hell down Evfra!” Cerise snarled. Another slap had her squealing. “Quit that!” The blows stung each time, her leggings didn’t offer much in the way of cushioning, but it didn’t deter her. The sting only heightened the anticipation in her body, coiling tight in her abdomen. She cursed her body for responding to him like it always did. They reached her room and he dropped her on the bed. The frame creaked under her weight as she bounced slightly.

She came up off the bed with her arms swinging, her eyes glittering with fury and barely hidden hurt. He simply gathered her wrists into one hand and stared down at her with blazing eyes. She struggled to get out of his grip but it was impossible. Her body warmed at being held down like she was, she cursed her body as she felt the moisture pooling between her thighs. Cerise felt her heart thud against her chest and her nipples beaded under the fabric of her tank top and bra. His eyes flicked down to see them outlined in the fabric before flitting up to hers, his fury changing to something hotter and darker. It sent a shiver through her body, heat throbbing between her legs.

“You think _we’re_ done?” Evfra growled at her. Her wrists felt delicate in his hand, an odd sensation since he knew she was anything but fragile. Her body was strung tight under his as he knelt between her thighs. He liked having her beneath him, at his mercy. Despite his best efforts, his desire for her had not abated during their brief separation. That night had merely heightened his appetite for more. His senses craved her taste and her scent, and it had been hell keeping away. It was better to keep away from her, she would complicate everything he'd worked for. The Initiative alliance was still fragile and she was a branded exile of her people. He shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be here with her, but it had been hell to stay away. And he _despised_ being dismissed like an underling beneath her notice. She hung up on him and that grated his pride.

“You ended our alliance Evfra. That includes any relationship between us!” Cerise snarled. “Can’t work with us if you work with the Initiative. We’re a blight on their record after all.” Cerise taunted as she twisted to get away from him. Her chest rubbed against his as she arched her back to try and break his grip. The friction sent a sizzle of heat down her body, her body ached for him.

“You assumed wrong.” Evfra stared down at her and she stopped struggling for the moment. Her body had a sheen of perspiration from the effort. “I won’t tolerate you ending that call without giving me a chance to talk.” Evfra told her as he grabbed her chin with his other hand. He forced her face to look up at him, and saw the fury in those stormy eyes. That she still fought against him, even as he had her in his grip, aroused him. The heat slid along his skin crackling like his bioelectricity.

“Is this about our business arrangement or the sex?” Her voice taunted him, and his eyes lit with renewed fury. “What would your people say if they knew you were sleeping with a human? Let alone a mercenary from Kadara?” Cerise sneered as he tightened his grip on her chin. She smirked at him as the sarcasm dripped from her tone. She knew what the answer was, it was one of her reasons for refusing at first. She wanted to lash out and hurt as she’d been hurt and her patience was gone. She planted her feet on the bed to push back and break his grip, but he merely tightened his grip. It only ended up rubbing her aching flesh against his erection.

“They wouldn’t question me.” Evfra snarled as Cerise lifted an eyebrow. Her pulse fluttered under his fingers, he knew she desired this as much as he did. He could almost smell the arousal on her, knew she’d be wet for him. The thought had him hardening, his cock sliding out, eager for her. Yet she fought it. Cerise yelped when he leaned down and bit her bottom lip. Pain mingled with pleasure, the white hot heat blazing in her body. She renewed her struggles against his grip, but they both knew she’d not escape unless he wanted her to. The game between them was a dance to heighten their arousal for each other.

“You didn’t come here just to fuck me. Spit it out Evfra.” Cerise told him as she arched her back invitingly, her lip still swollen and throbbing from the bite. She throbbed in another place, but she needed to be sure why he was here. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breathing, from her struggling and the lust churning in her system. Her body burned for his touch and she knew he’d keep it from her until she gave in to what he wanted.

“You are mine.” Evfra told her as he tightened his grip on her chin to make her look at him. “Until we are both satisfied.” Cerise shuddered as her body hummed in excitement. Lust warred with stubbornness inside her. Evfra could see the moment lust won in her eyes, in the softening of her body against his. He wanted the words, had to know she wanted this as much as he did.

“Then what are you waiting for?” She murmured as relaxed in his grip. She was tired of fighting and _needed_ the ache to be satisfied. He merely stared at her, the lust blazing in his eyes, and released her. She fell back against the bed with a soft grunt. Confusion clouded her eyes as she struggled to a sitting position. Rustling fabric snagged her attention, she turned and saw his clothing dropping to the floor. Cerise savored the view, her eyes roaming over the bare skin always amazed at the striking blue. The way his muscles bunched and moved as he removed the last of his clothes, it was innately sexy to her to watch. There were new scars on his back. Her fingers itched to touch him, but she curled them against her palm to resist. He turned and looked at her with a heated gaze. Her muscles quivered at the predatory gleam in them. Her hand grabbed the edge of her shirt but he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Her head tilted in confusion as he tugged on her wrist, she released the fabric and let him guide her wrist up. Cerise rose to her knees on the bed slowly, and started when his free hand grabbed the back of her neck. She tensed at being held like this, her body rebelled against being controlled. Fire licked at her body as he easily moved her. He would never hurt her and Cerise knew, in her heart, that she was safe. The heat simmered between their bodies as he held her still. The nudge at her breasts brought her eyes down and they widened in surprise. Hot, lurid thoughts ran through her mind as she stared at his raging hard on. She licked her bottom lip, still stinging from the bite, as an intense throbbing started between her legs. Cerise had to know what he tasted like, and comfortable in the knowledge that their physiology was compatible, she lowered her head.

His oath was the only sound as she brought her open hand to his cock as her lips kissed the tip. She ran her lips down the length of him, reveling in the sheer size of him. Evfra tightened the hand on the back of her neck as her tongue licked him from base to tip. Her lips slid over him and she took his cock into her mouth. He muttered something in Shelesh, as he moved his hand to her hair and released her wrist. Cerise grabbed him at the base and squeezed in time to her mouth’s movements. A soft hum of pleasure purred out of her throat as she relished this. The scales had shifted, and she now had him in her power. His hands tightened in her hair and she dared a look up.

“Enough. Enough.” Evfra told her as she felt his cock grow harder. She had an idea about why he wanted her to stop, but she wasn’t going to answer to him this time. Cerise sucked harder while pumping with her fist. Her core was aching for his touch and cock, but she also wanted to do this. A curse spilled from his lips as his orgasm built in his abdomen. Cerise braced for it and kept her mouth on him as his cock pulsed from his climax. Her name left his lips and that only added to her own unfulfilled desire, she ached to have him in her. She leaned back after the last spurt filled her mouth, licking her bottom lip. He looked down and saw her throat flexing as she swallowed. It was almost enough to harden him again, and he suppressed the shudder from the vision she presented. On her knees in front of him, face flushed with arousal, her eyes glittering with need for him, and her lips moistened from _him_ on her lips.

“Feel better Evfra?” Cerise murmured as he released her hair. She leaned back on her knees, as she stared up at him. The smile tugged her lips and she didn’t resist. Evfra’s chest was heaving from his breathing, and he reached for her. She scooted out of the way with a shake of her head, and slid off the other side of the bed. “No. My crew will be back any time now.”

“Then they can wait.” Evfra growled as he reached for her. She laughed and ducked away again. She meant what she said that her crew would be back. While it was no secret, she certainly didn’t need to give them any more ammunition. Despite her body burning for him. She’d have to find her release later when he’d left.

“Oh no.” Cerise told him as she wagged her finger at him. “I have to work.” She stepped towards the door, giving him a wide berth. His arm snaked out and snagged her waist before she could dodge. Cerise squealed as he yanked her close, his hand pressed low on her stomach. Heat danced along her veins as he was close to where she wanted him. She tugged at his arm, but it was like a steel band around her.

“We are far from done.” He whispered in her hair as he pulled her flush against his side. She shivered in response, the heat spreading like molasses in her system, slow and decadent, and turned to look at him. She shook her head as his hand lifted her shirt.

“Evfra, no. It’s fine this way.” Cerise murmured as she felt his fingers graze the skin of her stomach. Her nipples tightened into taut points underneath her bra, begging for his touch and mouth. Her body twisted to escape his grip but he tightened his hold.

“Did you think I’d leave you wanting Cerise?” His lips brushed her ear and he nipped the shell. The tiny cry from her lips had his blood pulsing, he wanted to feel her come apart. The tank top slid off her body, revealing the firm muscles of her abdomen. He appreciated the shape of her body, soft in places but toned in others. He wanted to run his lips over her and taste her. He wanted to taste her as she reached the pinnacle, hear her scream his name as she clenched around him. Needed it as he needed air to breathe.

“Maybe, you were really pissed off.” He growled low in his throat at how she thought of him, his arm tightened around her waist reflexively. Cerise complained as he pushed her onto the bed again. A shocked cry erupted from her lips as his hands slid off her pants and panties. “Evfra.” Cerise moaned as he settled between her thighs. His skin reminded her of heated silk as it slid against hers. His hands slid up to remove her bra, leaving her completely exposed now.

“Admit defeat already Cerise. You want this as much as I do.” Evfra murmured as his teeth nipped her navel, her muscles quivering in response. Her hands grasped the sheets, heat speared her center, as she was already throbbing for him. She did want this damn him. Her legs spread wider as his shoulders settled between them. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as the heat licked up her legs in anticipation.

He pressed a kiss just above where she craved his lips. Tiny tremors shook her legs as he pressed his lips to the inside of one. She smelled musky and it sent his blood pumping heavy through his body. Musk and some sweet spice he couldn’t place. Her skin was smooth here, no scars marred her legs. He knew where she wanted him, but he wanted her to beg. His teeth nipped the skin, leaving a small red mark that he soothed with his tongue. Her frustrated groans bounced off the walls of her room. He spread her legs with his hands, baring her slick folds for his view.

“Evfra.” She growled at him. His lip curled into a half smile as he heard the frustration in her voice. It fell off her in waves, but he wanted to hear it from her. “Please.”

“Please what?” He kept his mouth a fraction of an inch over her trembling pussy. His breath teased her as he spoke, rolling over her heated flesh. Her hips pushed up, but he gripped them firmly to keep her still. The rumble in her chest almost made him smile. He felt her hand brush against the top of his head, feather soft, and contained his own groan of need.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” Cerise chuckled with a throat thick with need. “Lick me. You know I want your tongue on me.” Cerise muffled her scream against her fist as he brought his mouth to her. He used his thumbs to spread her, his tongue pressed against her clit. Cerise felt the heat coil down in her center. Words babbled from her throat, words of want and need. His tongue circled her clit and sucked hard as a keening cry left her throat. Her leg muscles tightened around his head as he slipped a finger inside of her, with just a hint of his bioelectricity to enhance her pleasure. The orgasm took her by surprise, whipping through her violently. She screamed his name, the sound ricocheting off the walls, as the waves pulsed through her. He let her ride the waves of her orgasm before lifting his head, need darkening his eyes to a navy blue.

“Evfra.” Cerise reached for him, still soft and pliant from her orgasm. Her back bowed in surprise as he slid up her body, filling her to the hilt. He buried his face in her shoulder as he stilled to savor the feeling of her heat surrounding him. Cerise wrapped her legs around him, eager for him to move. His soft growl in her ear merely pooled the heat where they were joined. “Move, please.” Cerise cried out as he pulled out to the tip and then slammed back in her. The pace was furious and hard, which brought Cerise almost to orgasm again. He stretched her, the friction of his thrusts wrenched cries of pleasure from her throat. They were too compatible this way. He brushed his thumb over her sensitive nub as he pounded in her, humming with bioelectricity. Cerise dragged her nails down his back, leaving marks, as the orgasm built again. She tensed and let her head fall back as the orgasm burst on her senses. His groan vibrated against her chest as he buried his head against her shoulder. He thrust once again as he grabbed her ass to pull her tight against him. He uttered a word in Shelesh as he spent himself inside her. Cerise felt their chests rising in unison as he let his head rest against her to gain his breath back. He shifted to lay beside her, anchoring her against his side as their breathing returned to normal.

“We need to discuss this between us.” Evfra looked up at her ceiling and felt her tense beside him. She propped up on her elbow to look over at him, her eyes inscrutable.

“Couldn’t this have waited until the glow of orgasm was gone?” She sighed in exasperation as she shook her head, golden locks swinging freely with the motion. “What would you call us? I’ve never been one for commitment, so please don’t think you have to trot out those worn out lines to me.” Celeste told him. “But…” She paused to get a grip on her emotions. This was different than anything else she’d had back in the Milky Way. She’d rather face down a fiend than do this, and her hands shook slightly. Risking herself the way she was, that was a new sensation. She was used to putting her body at risk, but her heart was very closely guarded. It unnerved her the power he had over her heart. She had thought to guard it closely, but it seemed he’d snuck in when she wasn’t looking. “I am growing to care for you Evfra. And not just in a ‘tie me to the bed and have your way with me’ way.” Cerise told him. She felt him stiffen and misinterpreted it. “Sorry. A translation thing?” She laughed to lighten the mood but his hands slid around her body to her surprise. The caress normally evoked heat but this time it was a pleasant warmth. A warmth she could wrap herself in and stay there in contentment. And it scared the figurative pants off of her.

“It is complicated. I am a leader for my people, the same as the Moshae. I have to think of them before myself.” Evfra explained as he stroked her stomach in lazy circles. He didn’t seem to be aware he was touching her. The need to feel her was unconscious to him, it alarmed him greatly. This human, this newcomer to his galaxy, had the power over him to bring him to his knees. It should have repulsed him, this need he had for her, but instead he found himself drawn to her time and again. It wasn’t just her body he craved, but he would find himself wanting to see her smile or hear her laugh. Even to see her nose wrinkle in annoyance at something one of her inner circle told her.

“I understand. The leader of the Resistance in bed with a human? It could very well push more people to the Roekaar.” She understood his worries so easily. He began to suspect she wasn’t as hardened as many people would believe her to be. He’d seen her interact with her people, and saw the respect she commanded. He also knew that respect had been earned through action and not fear as Sloane ruled. Nor did she rule from the shadows as the Charlatan did. Eve was just a front to let Cerise roam freely, but she was the heart of the mercenary organization. He knew she was capable of great cruelty, he’d seen the reports of what happened with Grux. Seen her make those decisions himself. Evfra knew she had suffered, but he’d also seen her with the child. The scar that slashed her back, marring her skin, was a testament to how much she’d suffered in the Andromeda galaxy.

The scars on her abdomen from the shuttle crash showed him how strong her will to live was. Yet, she’d played with a small child when most others would have brushed off the attention. The gentleness she’d exhibited contradicted the picture that most had of the infamous mercenary of Kadara. Then their time on Havarl… She’d opened up to him about some of her childhood. That had spoken more of her true heart than anything else to him. The love she had for her brother was clear in her voice, and he did regret not telling her about Colin sooner. She did what was necessary to survive, and what she’d endured showed her that the only way to survive was by being tougher than your enemy.

“I’d like you to see Aya.” Evfra blurted out. Cerise started at the words and saw the regret in his face, her heart twisted and went tight with pain. She knew she couldn’t set foot on Aya, it wasn’t right for someone from Kadara. The knowledge did not lessen the pain as she’d love to see the lush planet. She wanted to see his home, but it was impossible for them as things stood.

“I’ve told you my answer about that Evfra. When the Roekaar aren’t as big a threat and when the Archon is defeated, then I’ll see about setting foot on Aya. Until then, I’m the exile from Kadara that has an illicit relationship with the Resistance leader.” Cerise leaned in and pressed her lips gently against his scar in a tender gesture. Evfra tilted his head to lean against the headboard. She sat up to keep her back to him, the scar on her back glaring at him. An ugly reminder of her first few weeks on Kadara. Evfra wanted to stroke the skin there, but he knew it was sensitive to her.

“Am I going to have to settle for stolen moments Evfra? I’d rather you be honest with me, we don’t need unrealistic expectations between us.” Cerise turned to look at him over her shoulder. The sigh was her answer and she shook her head.

“I cannot give you the answer you seek.” Her eyes snapped to his, glittering with anger.

“Don’t pretend you know what answers I want Evfra. I told you I don’t need commitment. The only expectation I have is knowing if this will be the last time we’ll be together or will there be others?” He stiffened slightly as the whip of her fury sliced him. He had not expected this response to his words.

“As I cannot see into the future, I cannot give you an answer.” Evfra growled at her in annoyance. She met his annoyance with her own anger. “The Moshae is back so it is difficult to get away. With the Initiative assisting Aya in fighting the kett, I don’t know when I can slip away anymore.” Evfra saw her eyes go from furious to ice.

“I see. As you know, I have _no_ love for the Initiative.” She stood beside the bed, in naked fury, and turned to face him with her arms crossed under her breasts. “Seeing as being involved with me, even as a rumor, could damage your relationship with the Initiative. Why don’t we just end it here?” The icy shards hit their mark and his own stubborn anger boiled to the surface.

“What else could I expect of someone exiled from their own people?” Cerise sucked in a hurt breath, the barb had struck true. She masked it with anger and took a step back when he stood up.

“Do you want to know _why_ I was exiled Evfra? Want to know what I did so your precious Initiative exiled me?” Cerise felt her shoulders shaking from the memory. She’d felt so powerless as Tann had stripped her of everything. It taught her a valuable lesson, one she should take more to heart with this matter. The only one you could depend on was yourself. Relying on others was just asking for trouble. Evfra stiffened as he stood beside the bed and glared down at her. He nodded once to acknowledge he would like to know. “I stood up for the way Tann was treating the krogan. Because of my name, my _father’s_ name, people started talking about it. That didn’t sit well with Tann. He branded me as an exile sympathizer and kicked me off the station.” Cerise told him. She clenched her jaw as she prepared to tell him the last bit. “I fought against my friends during the revolt. I was a loyal Initiative lapdog while the krogans put down my friends.” The memory still made her shudder from revulsion. The krogans hadn’t taken any pleasure in doing it, and regretted it as Tann turned on them. “Then Tann turned on the krogans and I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Tann rewarded loyalty with betrayal.” Evfra’s arms dropped to his side and Cerise clenched her fists. “So, _yes_ , I’m an Initiative exile.” Her eyes, sharp with the grief of her memories, met his. “And you know what? I’m _proud_ to no longer be involved with that asshole.”

“Cerise…” She shook her head as he began to speak. She wouldn’t hear of any pity, she’d come too far to welcome it now. The exile hadn’t killed her, it only made her stronger. But she’d never forgive Tann or the other leaders for what they did. Kesh was the only exemption, as she’d disagreed with the decision.

“Right. Now you know. As a person exiled by her own people.” Cerise grumbled as she relaxed her muscles. “Let’s face it Evfra. You need the alliance with the Initiative to work. I’ll jeopardize that.” Cerise turned her head as a weight settled on her shoulders. Once again, the Initiative was going to cost her something she wanted dearly. _Fool. Idiot. You’ve gone and fallen in love haven’t you? Fucking hell._ Cerise shook her head to clear it and she turned away from him so he wouldn’t see it.

Shock hit him first, she was suggesting they end their relationship. He hadn’t taken her bluster seriously, but when she had that deadpan voice? He knew she was serious. His arms hung uselessly at his sides. The reality was she was leaving him. Leaving him to save his alliance. He’d once told her he couldn’t choose her over his people, and she wasn’t giving him the choice. She chose for him. His mind couldn’t wrap around it as the splinter of pain lodged in his heart. He refused to examine it too closely. “Cerise…” Evfra reached for her but she flinched and he curled his hand into a fist. “This isn’t over. You can tell me it is, but I won’t believe it.” She turned to him in shock.

“Evfra, you know being with me would be wrong for negotiations with the Initiative. Especially if it became publicly known.” Cerise hissed at him.

“Yes. It could. But this Tann seems to value a partnership with the angara. I think it can be arranged to have him ignore what is between us in favor of a good relationship between our species.” Evfra watched as the thoughts ran across Cerise’s face. She scrunched up her nose and turned her head. He saw the worry ease slightly from her face as she knew Tann would balk at such arrangements. _Knew_ he’d bluster and rage at having to deal with the leader of the Resistance being with an exile.

“You’re an ass. I won’t have the pleasure of seeing Tann squirm.” Evfra threw back his head and laughed, the tension between them broken. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. His lips brushed the top of her head. “Still, it’s best to keep what we have a secret. For your own good.” Evfra sighed as she wasn’t going to budge on that one, but he could work around it in time.

“How long until your people return?” Evfra murmured against her hair. Cerise shuddered as she felt his hand tighten on her waist. She brought up her arm and her omni-tool. She made sure to keep the vid cut off when she called Anxo.

“Anxo, can you keep the crew out for another few hours?” Anxo looked at his omni-tool and laughed. He replied he would be able to keep them in the port for hours yet. Lister was in a drinking contest with Jusca. “Good. And please don’t let Lister drink himself into a coma please. Thanks.” The call ended and she shrieked as Evfra scooped her up.

“Good. Now you are mine for the rest of the afternoon.” She grinned at him as she grasped his shoulders. She’d take what moments she got as they came. Living as an exile she had to learn to live in the moment and treasure what she had before it was taken away. And that was exactly what she planned to do.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are finally reunited, but are on opposite sides. How is this going to play out on Kadara?

Cerise grumbled as she stared down at the reports on her desk. Even without the Resistance offering up suitable jobs, the Serpents were still busy. They just mostly worked with exiles and merchants outside of the Resistance. It also meant, _more paperwork._ Two words that were the epitome of evil in Cerise’s mind since Anxo made them all sit down and fill out their own. Now that the Initiative was active, with a Pathfinder, the merchants were worried about an increase in kett activity.

“Cerise!” She nearly jumped out of her skin as the door slid open and Lister came skidding to a stop in front of her desk. Her heart had barely calmed down when he yelled at her. “There’s an Initiative vehicle pulling up in front of our headquarters! What the hell are we going to do?” Lister held a lot of hatred for the Initiative after the way it treated him and many of his friends. For how they treated Cerise and Trixa. He also knew that Cerise’s brother was the fucking _Pathfinder_ , and he couldn’t imagine the conflict she had inside her. The figurehead of the Andromeda Initiative and she was an exile.

“First of all, I have perfectly good hearing. No need to shriek at me like a banshee.” Cerise idly rubbed one of her ears as the ringing echoed in it. “Second, let me go deal with it. I have a good idea about our visitors.” Cerise grumbled as she stood. Nerves jumbled in her stomach as she did have a good idea about who their visitor was. Her only problem was, she didn’t know how he’d react. There was no telling what Tann had told him regarding her exile, she and the Director weren’t exactly on _friendly_ terms so to speak. Lister followed Cerise down the stairs, worry furrowing his brow as he watched her. She breezed past the entryway and onto the small walkway in front of their building.

The dust cloud was her first clue that something was coming. The nose of the vehicle eased over the small hill and she saw the blue and white blazoned Nomad come into view. It was her brother. Conflicted emotions warred in her. She was so happy to see he was alive, but he was the _Pathfinder_ of the Initiative. The Initiative had cost her so much already, she didn’t want it to take away the relationship she had with her brother. Her elbows leaned against the railing as she waited for the Nomad to roll to a stop in front of her building. At least they were meeting on her turf rather than neutral ground or, worse, the Initiative held territory.

She watched as the group climbed out of the vehicle. Cerise recognized Cora Harper from her days of training with Alec Ryder. The second person to climb out was also a familiar face, and a welcome one at the Serpents. Jaal waited and turned towards the vehicle, she saw his lips moving though she couldn’t quite make out the words. Cerise merely stayed where she was, giving off the impression of relaxation. Inside she was coiled tight as a wire and ready to snap at any moment. She also knew that at least four different pairs of eyes were on the outside in the event something went down.

Cora stared up at the two-story building in front of her. The crimson serpent coiled around the apple, fangs bared, was emblazoned across the shiny metal. It announced to anyone passing by just who this building belonged to. Kandros had given them what intel he had on the mercenary group. The group never caused trouble for the Initiative, going as far as to actively avoid them. She knew their leader was a woman named Eve who never showed her face around Kadara. The two public faces of the Serpents were Cerise Ryder and Anxo, the salarian second in command. By all reports the entire mercenary group answered to Cerise. Jaal finally coaxed the Pathfinder out of the vehicle and a tiny smile tugged at Cora’s lips. He had been so nervous when debating coming to the mercenary company. He’d chosen to meet on her turf to make things easier for her. Not that she could blame him, his sister was now an exile. Anyone could use that against him and they would undoubtedly do it.

“So, this is where Cerise lives?” Colin winced as he saw the Serpents logo splashed across the building. She certainly wasn’t playing it subtle on Kadara, but then again, he’d heard that she was one of the more powerful women on the planet. Everyone on Kadara knew of the Serpents in the port. His eyes swept over the front of it and then settled down on the figure leaning against the railing. The breath left his lungs as he recognized that stubborn set of her shoulders, and the pinched lips. It was the look she used to give him when he would take their dad’s side in an argument. He knew it meant she was bottling up a lot of emotions, and he understood. There was too much at play for them to resume the relationship they’d had prior to Andromeda. Colin had no idea of the trials that his sister had gone through once she’d been thrown from the Nexus. Kesh had assured him it wasn’t what Tann or Addison told him. Cerise had not betrayed the Nexus in the uprising, but he had to ask for himself if he wanted to know.

“Colin, are you certain you are all right with this?” Jaal asked him quietly. The worry clear in his voice and Colin smiled at him. He nodded to reassure the angaran man that this was indeed, what he wanted to do. Reyes had given him the coordinates for the Serpents’ command center, and he took off as soon as he was able to. The vault could wait, Sloane’s stupid party could wait, he needed to see his sister. He approached the railing and kept his eyes on his sister. Their eyes were identical in color, both a stormy grey.

“Cerise?” Colin asked tentatively as he approached. She looked much different. Appearance wise she was the exact same, but there were shadows in her eyes now. He knew she’d brushed the darkness and it marked her. Jaal and Cora stood behind Colin as he stood at the bottom step. Cerise straightened and put a hand on her hip, staying at the top stair. The tension crackled between the twins, Cora could almost swear it snapped like lightning. There was an ocean of unsaid emotions passing between the twins. Both were all too aware that they now stood on opposite sides of the line, and now had to find a way to understand each other again.

“Colin. Or is it Pathfinder now?” Her voice was cool, not betraying any emotion she may have upon seeing him again. He winced a little at it but he nodded. He knew she needed to know.

“Yes. I’m the human Pathfinder.” He answered quietly. Nerves shook his voice and made his hands tremble as he stood staring up at his sister. He couldn’t get a proper read on her body language, which made his palms sweat. Cerise was normally easy to read, but it seemed that Kadara had changed her in that regard.

Cerise stared down at her brother with trepidation. She wasn’t sure how he would react and where his loyalties were, and if those loyalties would come back to bite her in the ass. The past fourteen months since landing in Andromeda had been about survival, and Cerise had found that the only person she could count on was herself. She’d slowly been opening up to her inner circle and even Evfra, but at heart, she still believed she could only count on herself. Thousands of what if scenarios crossed her mind as they stared at one another, each with their own worries.

“Colin. Why don’t you and your companions come in? We can talk more inside.” Cerise told him as she stepped back from the top step. It was a concession that he recognized, and one he was going to take. Cora was reminded of being invited into the lion’s den and knew not a single soul in that place would be on their side. The only thing that had on their side was Cerise’s relationship to Colin. She didn’t think they’d attack without a word from her. Jaal was also feeling anxious as they entered the building behind Cerise. He knew most of the mercenaries and wasn’t nervous about them, but he was nervous about how his affiliation with the Initiative would be taken. They saw the building was sparsely decorated. Loud yells and jeers from the area in front of them snagged their attention, the shouts were almost deafening as the door slid open. Cora was tensed, ready for any kind of a fight.

“No way are you going to win this time Lister!” Grayson yelled out as the group focused on Jusca and Lister arm wrestling on the table. Cerise blew out an impatient breath as she saw the commotion. Trixa looked up and saw Cerise there with the Initiative personnel behind her. The turian tensed up and a flicker of anger passed over her face. It was covered up quickly and she turned to the table. Trixa trusted Cerise to do the right thing and knew that nothing would come in the way of the company’s wellbeing.

“All right. Pack it up. Boss needs the room.” Trixa told them. The group broke apart with Lister telling Jusca they’d take it to the training yard to determine who was the best. Cerise snorted but patted Trixa’s shoulder as the turian passed her. Lister bumped shoulders with Colin and flashed him a somewhat menacing grin.

“Ease off Lister.” The warning growl made the other man shrug before joining the others in the yard. Cerise waved her hand towards the empty chairs and one sofa. Colin took off his helmet and turned to look at his sister who had just flipped her chair around to sit in it.

“Cerise. Let’s just get it out of the way.” She froze and stared at him with eyes that snarled _do not do it._ Cora tensed up ready for a fight as Cerise’s lips curled into a retort and Jaal stepped forward with his hand out to stop Colin. They both feared Colin was going to have an all-out brawl with his sister. The Pathfinder turned towards his sister and practically picked her up and _hugged_ her.

“You put me down _right this minute_ asshole!!” Cerise shrieked in protest as she was hugged. He’d always done this, all their lives. Cerise pushed against his head as the armor dug into her belly. “Colin.” She practically growled at him as he just held her there. Her feet were just off the floor and she hated being so helpless. It wasn’t that she hated being hugged by her brother, but his damned armor was poking her and that hurt. “Your armor is digging into my skin idiot. Put me down.” She didn’t have any heat in her voice now and he looked down at her and grinned. Cerise crossed her arms over her chest as he kept her up in the air.

“Are you going to punch me?” “That depends. Are you going to put me down?” Colin set her down and Cerise put the chair in between her and her brother. Colin grinned at his sister who scowled at him.

“Just like old times!” Colin announced as Cerise snorted. “Cerise. It is good to see you again.” Cerise crossed her arms and turned her head away from him.

“Not like old times. You’re the Pathfinder Colin. The Initiative’s lapdog.” Cerise spat out the word. The hatred in her voice startled Colin, and it had Cora tensing in defense. “Relax Cora. I’m not going to attack Colin in my own headquarters. We don’t mess with the Initiative. It’s one of the solid rules we follow.” Cerise threw out as she saw Cora shift to stand behind Colin. Jaal grinned as he noticed the tension was broken. He stepped forward and saw the warning snap into her eyes. “Don’t even, for a minute, think you can hug me too Jaal.” Cerise warned before being enveloped by the broad angaran. She grumbled about no one taking her seriously as he stepped back.

“So. Jaal told me that you work with the Resistance?” Colin sat down in the chair next to Cerise. He saw her shoulders tense and worry dug at him. The anguish darkened her eyes for a few seconds before she covered it back up.

“We worked with the Resistance. Past tense. We no longer have any business dealings with them.” Cerise crossed her arms under her chest. Jaal looked stunned by the news. “With the Initiative making first _official_ contact with the angara, it would be best if the Resistance didn’t have ties to _exiles._ ” Cerise told Jaal. Jaal was never good at hiding his emotions and Colin noticed the sympathy in his eyes for Cerise. He wondered about that. Why would Jaal feel sorry for his sister?

“It’s a smart move. You did get exiled from the Nexus.” Cora mentioned and saw Cerise tense up. The dry laugh bounced off the walls of the room.

“Oh yes. I was exiled. So what _is_ Tann telling everyone these days? I always love to hear how I was exiled.” Cerise flashed a toothy grin at Colin and he saw the simmering anger beneath it. He chose his words carefully, even if he knew her anger was for Tann.

“He said you had been a part of the uprising. You’d turned against the Nexus.” Cerise clenched her hands into fists from the sheer lies that salarian spoke. Colin hastily finished. “But when I asked Kesh she told me I should ask you when I saw you again. That Tann wasn’t going to tell me the real truth.” Colin held up his hands as he saw the thunderous expression on Cerise’s face.

“Good old Kesh. She didn’t want me to leave, but she couldn’t risk her own position.” Cerise had a fondness for the krogan. “She’s right though. I wasn’t exiled because of the rebellion. I was forced out after the uprising.” Cerise murmured. Colin’s brows drew together in concern as he waited for Cerise to continue. “I stayed loyal to the Initiative. I saw the krogan come in and stamp out the rebellion. I saw friends being stomped on, being shot at, and some being killed. Yet I stayed loyal. Then Tann turned his back on the krogan. I couldn’t stomach the way he repaid that loyalty. When I spoke up, people listened. Alec Ryder’s daughter carries some weight in the Initiative after all.” Cerise’s voice was frigid as she recounted the tale. “Tann repaid loyalty by betraying the krogan. I spoke out for them, to be given what they were promised. So, Tann had me branded an exile sympathizer. I was kicked off the Nexus and had to make my own way in Andromeda.” Cerise told him as Colin sat there shocked. He believed Cerise, he knew Tann was capable of those acts. He’d found evidence that Addison’s assistant was the one at fault for the krogan’s deal falling through. Though, wisely, he kept silent about this from Cerise.

“Tann saw the people turning against him, and so he branded you an exile?” Cora could hardly believe it, but it made so much sense. Tann would never let anyone question his authority, not even the Pathfinder could do that. Let alone a simple security officer. Colin stared up at Cerise in surprise.

“So that’s why you became a mercenary?” Colin murmured. Cerise nodded and sighed as she heard that tone in his voice. The one that told her a wealth of things, as in _wasn’t there anything else you could do?_

“Look. It was either that or die. I chose survival. And the only way you survive in Kadara is either being smarter and manipulating the people here, or you become stronger than anyone else. Subterfuge and sabotage are the life’s blood of this planet. You’d do well to remember that.” Cerise told Colin.

“Are you including yourself in that? Can we trust you?” Cora piped up after seeing the stricken look on Colin’s face. Cerise gave a dry laugh as her shoulders shook. She doubled over with the laughter, hugging her midsection from the deep belly-aching laughs.

“Oh absolutely. Unless you have a contract with me, I’m not on your side.” Colin looked as if she’d hit him. He couldn’t believe Cerise would be this way. He didn’t expect her to join the Initiative, he wasn’t even sure she _could,_ but he didn’t expect her to be so cruel. “Look. We don’t target the Initiative. We like keeping to ourselves and doing business our way.” Cerise told him. “I won’t make myself into a target. Look Colin, if the people around here knew I was working with the Initiative, I’d be made into a target. I don’t have the resources you do. I’ve only got what I scavenged for, what I fought for, and what I shed blood for. And I can’t trust the Initiative not to turn on me. They did it once and there’s nothing stopping them from doing it again.”

“We are here to establish an outpost.” Jaal interrupted. Cerise gaped at him in surprise.

 _“What!?”_ Surprise shook her to her toes. This couldn’t be real. The Initiative couldn’t be coming to _Kadara_ of all places. What was Addison thinking? “The Initiative wants to establish itself here?” Her voice held a note of incredulity to it that amused Colin.

“Yes. Speaking of that. I may need your help. I’m not asking as the Pathfinder. I’m asking as your brother.” Colin hastily added as he saw the denial forming on her lips. She flinched as he pulled the brother card. She looked at him with cool eyes and indicated he should continue. “I’m working with Reyes Vidal to help solve some of Kadara’s most pressing problems. The murders in the port and the drug problem.” Colin told her. Cerise blew out a breath and turned her head to the side. She really didn’t want to tell Colin that she wasn’t able to help him in the port, but it looked as if she had no choice. It was by mutual agreement she avoided getting involved with the port.

“Look. I can’t help you in the port.” Colin stood up to protest but she held up a hand. “I _can’t._ Sloane has a shoot first and ask questions later policy out on my head.” Cerise told him. “So, the port is off limits. I can do business in the marketplace, but I’m sure she has standing orders to fire on my ass if I take so much as a step towards her headquarters.” Cerise grumbled as understanding dawned on Colin’s face. Cerise wondered if he would understand just how cut throat the port really was. She hoped that his crew would look out for him, for his sake.

“What about the Collective?” Cerise shrugged. She explained they left each other alone and it’s worked out well for them. “But who would you choose? The Collective or the Outcasts?”

“Wait, you mean for who should run Kadara port? Why?” Cerise asked and saw the look on Colin’s face. He was getting involved in _politics_ and not just regular politics, but Kadaran politics. The worst kind to get involved in, as no one walked away unscathed there. “Oh no. I’ve never gotten involved with those two groups. So much political bullshit it’s like I’m back on the Nexus. Just with more blood and less subtlety.” Cerise looked over as Colin clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter. Her lips turned up in a reluctant smile as she saw his face flush with the effort it took to keep the laughs silent. “In all seriousness Colin. Don’t trust anyone in this pit of vipers.” Cerise murmured as she put her hand on the table to face him. Her posture was tense and he knew she was serious.

“Cerise. I’m not an idiot.” He ignored her snort of disbelief. “I know I can’t trust everyone here.” Cerise crossed her arms and glared at him. “Okay, okay. I can’t trust anyone here. Will you help me if I need you?” Colin asked quietly. Cerise clenched her jaw as she thought it over. She really didn’t want to get involved with the Nexus, that was tantamount to betrayal for her company. Almost everyone in her company was either involved with the uprising or had family involved. She would not jeopardize their trust in her.

“If it’s just _you_ and not an official Initiative job. Then I can help you. I won’t turn my back on my brother, but I have no qualms doing so when it involves the Pathfinder.” Cerise told him. Colin nodded, accepting that this was as much as he would get from her. He looked at Jaal and Cora who both nodded and agreed to give them some privacy. They went to wait in the Nomad.

“Cerise. I need to tell you about Dad.” Colin felt his throat clench as he remembered the day on Habitat 7. Cerise glanced at him over her shoulder, he saw the tormented emotions in her eyes and face. _She knew._

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Colin nodded, surprise lighting his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious to figure out Colin. You’re the Pathfinder and there’s only so many ways to get that title. Dad would have had to pass it on to you, which makes no sense. He _lived_ for that role after Mom passed away. Or he died.” Cerise felt the suffocating grief in her chest. She’d never gained his approval, but that little girl inside of her that still craved acceptance grieved for his loss. Cerise would wait until she had privacy to mourn the loss of her father. “You were always closer to him than I was.” Cerise told Colin. “I’m sorry he’s dead. I’m sorry that him dying meant you got a huge target put on your back. And I’m sorry I can’t be there to help protect you like usual.” Cerise told him with a sad smile. The memories came to them of when they were little.

Cerise had found out some of the older kids had been pounding on Colin because of his mild stutter. She’d stood up to them and told them to leave her brother alone. She’d gotten thrashed for her efforts and that was the day she vowed to get better. Colin had watched as Cerise entered mixed martial arts and excelled, their parents had assumed it would teach Cerise how to harness her anger. Instead, it helped her defend her brother and others from the neighborhood bullies. Cerise had learned how to be a scrappy fighter since the bullies never relented from picking on people. Colin had tried his best to defend her actions to their parents but Ellen had never favored using fists instead of words. The disappointment had been acute in their parents when it came to Cerise. That only made her lash out more when the bullies got bigger.  
Colin’s biotic abilities manifested at an early age, and so Ellen worked with him to control them. Cerise had watched her brother get closer to their parents because of the biotic abilities, but they’d never manifested in her. Oh, she could manipulate the energy to create a small lance or a throw, but nothing near what her brother could accomplish. It had left a bit of a bitter aftertaste in her heart, but she’d never held it against her brother. Her parents took most of that blame.

“Cerise. Dad did love you, in his own way.” Colin told her and was rewarded with an indifferent shrug. He recognized the defensive mechanism, it had been that way all their life.

“I’ve long gotten used to it Colin.” Cerise blew out a breath. “Neither one of our parents had a clue on how to deal with me. I didn’t really understand myself at times.” She looked at him and he saw the acceptance in her face. “I’ll be all right. The question is, will you be okay on Kadara?” Cerise laughed at Colin’s pinched look. He knew she was trying to change the subject but he allowed her to.

“The drug problem. Do you have any leads there?” Colin watched as Cerise thought on it before tapping on her omni-tool. He saw a salarian pop on the screen looking a little annoyed at being interrupted, but it smoothed out when he saw it was Cerise.

“Hey Anxo. Remember that Dr. Farenth we had to investigate at one point?” He nodded and searched through some files.

“Ah here we go. She’s not a real doctor. Just some low-level thug that Sloane hired to peddle Oblivion once Nakamoto defected.” Anxo explained as she thanked him. Colin looked surprised at the information and looked over at his sister.

“Thanks, Anxo.” Cerise turned off the omni-tool and met Colin’s gaze. “There you go. Whatever bullshit story she comes up with, remember that she works for Sloane.” Colin was surprised at the venom in Cerise’s tone.

“What’s the deal between you and Sloane?” Colin asked. Cerise’s chest heaved in a long, drawn out sigh. It was a complicated story and it would mostly come across as some high school spat, but it cost lives.

“She’s tried to nose in on my business. Some of her goons came around to try and stir up trouble a while ago. She learned _quick_ that no one messes with me or mine.” Cerise told him as she crossed her arms. Colin nodded and moved to stand beside her.

“If I need you. I’ll call you.” Colin told her as he turned to leave. Cerise walked him out and stood at the top of the steps. She saw her brother look out over at the Nomad and saw his gaze on Jaal. There was a look of longing in his eyes and her lips turned up in a smile.

“He’s good for you.” Cerise said as she nudged him with her elbow. Colin flushed a bright cherry red as he turned to face Cerise. “Don’t bother to deny it. It won’t do you any good.” He hung his head as she was right. “He is good for you and I think you’ll be good for him.” Cerise smiled fondly at her brother. It was nice to see him interested in someone again, after the lowlife jerk that had broken his heart back in the Milky Way. Cerise had gotten the last word with that guy, no one hurt her brother. Colin would never know why he suddenly seemed to drop off the face of the planet, that would go with her to her grave.

“I promise I’ll try not to screw it up, but I’m not sure how he feels about me. Thanks, Cerise.” Colin hugged her again despite her protests. He headed off to the Nomad with a quick wave and Cerise watched him go on his own. She heaved a deep sigh as she wondered how things would change for now. Her hand ran through her hair as she stepped inside to brief Anxo on how the meeting with the Pathfinder went.

A few days later Cerise got a call on her omni-tool. Colin had already asked her to meet with him when he went to meet the Charlatan. Sloane had practically blackmailed him into it and that grated on Cerise’s nerves. She certainly had no love for Sloane but now she felt even more reason to despise the woman. It really boiled down to how Sloane had turned against the Initiative, no matter her reasons, Cerise didn’t understand turning on those men and women that had looked up to her. She opened the comm line to take the call and she felt the good mood slipping quick. The familiar face thinned out her lips into a frown. “Come now Cerise. Surely you would not greet an old friend like this?” Reyes smiled across the screen. Her snort of irritation was his only answer. He chuckled at her grumpiness. “I hear you are going to be attending the meeting with Sloane and the Charlatan.” Her hackles instantly rose as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Yes. The only people who know are Sloane and the Charlatan. Hmm. Interesting that you do Reyes.” Cerise purred as she glared at him, even as wily as he was this kind of information shouldn’t be available. Sloane was tight lipped about anything after the Collective people slipped in and beat up Kaetus, and she knew the Charlatan didn’t let anything slip that they didn’t want to slip. She’d always had her suspicions about him. Always. She just needed something from him to confirm it. The man liked his fingers in too many pies for him not to have some sort of stake in this show.

“You are a little too clever Cerise.” Reyes chuckled as he flashed a dark grin at her. That was all the confirmation she needed. Cerise curled her lip in a snarl.

“Hurt my brother Reyes and your precious little Collective won’t stand a chance.” Cerise told him. He put up his hand in a gesture of peace. He proposed an alliance to her but she shook her head. “Perhaps you should be speaking to my brother. You know I don’t get involved in the politics. I’m there to make sure you and Sloane don’t backstab him. Take your deals elsewhere.” Cerise told him as she cut the call short. She headed down to the armory to get into her armor, the customary black chest plate emblazoned with the trademark serpent. The armor chest plate went on easily enough, Anxo helped her snap it into place. She knew he had his own thoughts on the matter, but he trusted her judgment.

“You sure about this Cerise?” Anxo murmured quietly behind her. He wasn’t sure he liked letting her go out alone. Especially into the den of the Charlatan and Sloane. There would be bloodshed.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I can handle myself with those two snarling territorial tomcats.” Cerise flexed her arm to make sure the arm guards fit properly. Once she was satisfied she saluted and headed off to the navpoint her brother had sent her.

“Looks like it’s time to settle Kadara’s little power war once and for all. Wonder who’s going to come out on top?” Cerise murmured to herself as she headed out.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Charlatan and Sloane have their face off. Will Cerise tip the scales regarding the power in Kadara?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This follows High Noon pretty closely.

Cerise grumbled as she leaned against the rough wall of the cave mouth, she had her boot propped up against the wall with her arms crossed. She’d arrived around ten minutes prior, wanting to get a good sense for how the situation was. It told her that this was like a powder keg ready to blow, there were too many places for snipers to hide. The place was ripe for an ambush and Cerise wouldn’t put it past Sloane or Reyes to rig one up. _Nasty business about Kaetus, but that just makes Sloane a wild card now. Grief and hell bent on vengeance will make her very unpredictable._ She was the picture of leisure to anyone who wasn’t paying attention, but her muscles were tensed and ready to pounce into action.

The sound of shuttle engines drew her eyes to the machine landing close to the entrance. Sloane got out of the shuttle and stalked up to Cerise. The anger was palpable but it didn’t faze Cerise, she’d seen worse. The woman looked down at Cerise with a snarl curling her lip. Cerise merely lifted a slim blonde eyebrow as she felt the fury emanating off Sloane. Cerise had faced down worse than Sloane, but that still didn’t stop her from shifting her feet to get into a defensive posture in case Sloane threw a punch.

“I’m here for the Pathfinder.” Cerise waved off the curse Sloane threw her way. “Guess he doesn’t trust you or the Charlatan not to stab him in the back.” Her lips pulled back in a feral grin as Sloane stalked off to wait for Colin. The Nomad showed up a few moments later with her brother climbing out. She still couldn’t believe he was allowed to drive the Nomad, not after their teenage years. He’d failed his driver test three times when they’d been eighteen. Sloane whipped her head around as Cerise chuckled.

“Took your sweet time.” Sloane snapped at Colin. He was flanked by two people wearing Initiative armor. Cerise recognized Cora but the other man wasn’t familiar to her. She figured he was one of her father’s specialists and the old familiar bitterness welled up within her before she could stop it. Cerise wondered if it would ever stop stinging that her father hadn’t chosen her for his precious Pathfinder team. Not that she was anyone’s ideal choice for that kind of team, but it was just one more thing in the long checklist of reasons why she was a giant disappointment to her father.

“Ah. Cerise.” Colin turned to his sister as she straightened off the wall.

“You’re joking? Cerise Ryder has been _Eve_ this whole time?” Sloane laughed bitterly. Cerise turned so her side was to Sloane, she wasn’t stupid enough to give the woman her back. Cerise refused to acknowledge her with any comment. The choices were to acknowledge it or to ignore her, both were sure to invoke Sloane’s ire so Cerise chose silence. She only hoped Colin knew what he was doing by getting involved with the Outcasts and Collective. “Alright, let’s get this over with.” She stood with her arms crossed, eyes lit with the fury about Kaetus.

“I’m with you.” Colin told her and gestured for her to go first. Cerise snorted as she rolled her eyes at the scenario. Cora looked at her with an odd look while the other man gave her a glare. Cerise pulled up the rear as the group walked into the cave. She already knew who’d be making his appearance, though the thought did pop into her mind if Colin knew. The cave was dark and damp, there was no natural light for them to see by. They approached the center of the cavern which was lit by a hole in the ceiling, but the rest of the room was cast in shadows. Cerise’s eyes darted around as she looked for trouble. She didn’t put it past Reyes to have soldiers in the shadows, that was something she’d do. He always showed himself to be a cunning man, and this would be no exception.

“You look like you’re waiting for someone.” Cerise recognized that accent. Her eyes snapped up towards the overhead walkway. She felt Colin go rigid next to her as he undoubtedly recognized Reyes’s voice as well.

“R-Reyes?” Cerise closed her eyes against the pain in her brother’s voice. _So, he didn’t tell him. Ooh boy, this isn’t going to end well at all._ Colin’s stutter only came back when he was nervous, stressed, or scared. Cerise figured her brother would be all three with this kind of betrayal slapping him in the face. Her brother was too naïve and trusting for his own good, and she hated seeing him hurt like this. It cut at her own heart to see that flash of pain in his eyes. She would do anything to erase that kind of look from Colin’s face. Her own hand went to the pistol at her side, ready to draw it in an instant if the situation went south. She knew Cora and her brother were biotics, but the other man was an unknown. Her mind whirled with possible ways for this situation to end.

“I’m here for the Charlatan. Not some third-rate smuggler.” Sloane snapped as Colin stepped up next to her. Cerise scanned the cave and saw it was empty of troops, but that meant little in Kadara, and she noticed the quick glance Cora sent her. She barely paid any attention to the chatter between Sloane and Reyes. Cerise knew a distraction tactic when she saw it, and she knew the real danger was in the shadows. Though she wondered if Sloane would think of that, as single minded as she seemed at the moment.

“They’re one and the same.” The anger edged into Colin’s voice as he spoke. His eyes never left Reyes on top of the walkway. Cerise winced as she heard it. _Reyes is in for it now._ If Reyes thought _she_ was a hard ass when it came to grudges, he was in for a thrill with her brother. As sweet as Colin was, the man could hold a grudge to an unhealthy level. Cerise was pretty sure he still remembered, and was mad about, the time she accidentally stepped on his comic book when they were ten.

“Surprise.” Cerise thought she heard the sound of regret in Reyes’s voice. That couldn’t be right. Cerise shook her head and waited for this little show to play out, a bit impatiently. She wasn’t interested if the Outcasts or Collective killed each other, but the innocents that would be caught in their crossfire. If they couldn’t settle this now, the citizens of the port would be the ones to suffer. Then Cerise and the Serpents would have to get involved and she didn’t want to get any more involved in Kadara politics than she already was.

“This whole time you’re been lying to me.” It wasn’t a question and Cerise almost groaned out loud. _Damn it, I warned him. I warned him not to trust anyone on Kadara._ She felt for her brother, knew he was going through his own personal hell right now. Her heart hurt for him and she wanted to spare him the pain, but she couldn’t _do_ anything for him, that would risk Sloane getting too suspicious and she might lash out at Colin.

“Not the whole time.” Reyes told Colin. Cerise looked between the two men and her eyes widened as she understood the undercurrents. The tension was clear between the two men and she wanted to groan out loud. _Oh. That was unexpected. Really Colin? Jaal’s a much better match for you than Reyes._ Cerise grumbled to herself as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. She wondered how far it had gone between the two of them, was it merely flirting or had Reyes? _Nope, don’t go there. You do not need to think about that Cerise._ Cerise glowered at Reyes as she swore to whatever deity was listening that she’d kick his ass if he used and abused Colin’s trust.

“Enough with your little lovers’ spat. You said you wanted to settle things. How?” Sloane interrupted, bringing them back to the real reason they were all in that cave.

Reyes hopped down and stepped into the circle of light. Even then it was as if he was still cloaked in shadow. A good representation of the situation in general. “A duel. You and me. Right now. Winner takes Kadara Port.” Reyes offered. They both looked over at Cerise who looked up surprised. Why the hell was Reyes looking at her? _That jackass better not be getting me involved any more than I already am._

“And what of her?” Sloane jerked her thumb towards the mercenary, tone dripping with disdain. As if Cerise was merely a worm beneath her boot. Cerise puffed out an irritated breath at the insinuation.

“Me? I’m here to make sure neither one of you stabs the Pathfinder in the back. Try it and you’ll find out just how much power I _do_ have.” Her voice as deadly as a snake’s warning hiss. Sloane and Reyes both knew that Cerise could back up her threats, there was a reason neither of them had made a move to eliminate the mercenary company. It was because they _couldn’t_. The three primary powers on Kadara stood facing one another, the tension crackled like electricity between them. “I want this settled as peacefully as possible too. No innocents need to get any more involved nor have their blood spilled.”

“You want to avoid war by shooting each other?” Colin asked surprised. Cerise could honestly see the benefits to a duel, but her doubt came with if the two would play fair. The thought occurred to her that Reyes wouldn’t play by the rules. He’d have a sniper nearby the ensure his victory, it was something that Cerise would set up but she couldn’t spot one.

/  
“Two people shooting each other is better than a lot of people shooting each other.” Reyes retorted. The silence dragged on for a few beats as Sloane debated the options in her mind. Cerise rested her hand on the Eagle at her side. She would be ready to fire in a second if she saw the slightest hint that’s what either of them were going to betray Colin.

“I’ll take those terms.” Cerise watched as Reyes smirked before the two began circling one another. Cerise almost rolled her eyes heavenward as Sloane made sloppy mistakes. _You’re trusting the Charlatan? Tsk, tsk Sloane. You’re getting sloppy. And you’re taking your back away from the wall? Will wonders never cease? Kaetus getting beat up must have messed with your common sense._ Cerise resisted the urge to cluck her tongue. Suddenly the sharp crack of the bullet rang out and Sloane froze. The Eagle was in Cerise’s palm even as she saw Sloane’s body jerk. _Damn._ Cerise watched as the knowledge dawned in the Outcast leader’s eyes before the life drained from them. She grunted at the pain, crying out sharply as the bullet tore through muscle into her heart. _I hope this doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass Colin._ Cerise looked as Colin left Sloane’s side and went to Reyes. She didn’t holster her pistol, a clear warning to Reyes.

“Bang.” Reyes held his hand to Sloane to mimic a gun. “Get her out of here. Prepare the crew. Kadara Port is ours tonight.” He glanced over at Cerise who curled her lip. They had their tentative alliance and if he never tried to hone in on her territory, she was content to let him lead the port as he saw fit. Keema was an agreeable enough contact to go through. Reyes knew the rules to their alliance, betray her and she’d have his organization in her fist. They both recognized the other as a formidable opponent, but also knew the other would make those dark choices that needed to be made. If the two turned on each other the port would drown in blood.

Reyes headed down a tunnel and Colin followed him. Cerise wasn’t interested to overhear this conversation, she just hoped that Colin returned all right. She blew out a breath as the Collective soldiers took Sloane’s body out of the cave, it was as if they were cockroaches being scattered after a light being turned on. A few started as they saw the woman standing in the black armor. They worried Cerise would take advantage of the chaos and take power. Cerise grumbled as she leaned against the cave wall, her boot propped up on it. Cora turned to Cerise and she had a perplexed expression on her face.

“Cerise?” Cora asked quietly. Cerise unsnapped her helmet and slid it off. A question hung between them, but the mercenary was unsure of what was being asked of her.

“Hello Cora. I’ve no interest in taking any power in Kadara port. Too much of a headache.” Cora relaxed as it seemed that she really didn’t have any vested interest in the power struggle for the port. Her arms crossed over her chest as they waited for Colin to finish his discussion with Reyes. Liam looked between the two women and he pieced it together.

“You’re Colin’s sister.” Liam saw her nod.

“Yes. I’m Colin’s sister. The big bad exile.” She waved her hand nonchalantly. She wasn’t interested in making friends with any of the Pathfinder’s team, aside from Jaal. She didn’t know how much of their loyalty was to the Nexus or her brother, and honestly, she really didn’t _care._ They were her brother’s problems, not hers.

“You’re a mercenary.” Liam spat at her. Cora held up a hand as Cerise grinned with her eyes frosting over. So that was his problem, _well_. She ran her tongue over her teeth as she thought of the best response that would be sure to provoke a reaction.

“A damn good one actually.” Cerise returned. Liam curled his hands into fists and crossed his arms instead of giving in to the urge he wanted to. Cora sighed and looked at her with impatience.

“Colin’s been close lipped about you. Why?” Liam growled and Cora threw up her hands as the fight was inevitable. She had hoped Liam would see the deliberate provocation but it seemed that he was ignoring it if he did. She muttered something about not shooting each other which only earned her a grin from Cerise. Cora sounded too much like Alec Ryder at times.

“I don’t doubt he is. After all, I’m nothing more than a dirty exile. Big bad betrayer of the precious Nexus.” Cerise taunted in a mocking tone. She saw the shock on Cora’s face and the fury on Liam’s. “But don’t worry. We don’t tangle with the Initiative, all of us in the company would prefer to pretend it never existed in the first place. We mostly run jobs for merchants and sometimes we take on investigative work.” Cerise ran a hand through her hair as she looked towards the tunnel, hoping her damn brother would make an appearance already.

“Think what you will. Ask Jaal if you don’t believe me.” Cerise quipped as she turned her head away from Liam.

“Cerise, has Colin told you?” Cora began but Cerise held up a hand. She knew where this was going and did not want to have that particular conversation. Her own demons hadn’t yet had time to properly howl about the unfairness of it all.

“No one had to tell me Cora. There was no way the old man would give up his position of Pathfinder. Colin merely confirmed my suspicions. I’m just surprised he didn’t pass it to you. You were his second.” Cerise was confused about it, but she didn’t know if anyone had the answers.

“Bitter he didn’t choose _you?_ ” Liam sneered, he knew it was below him but he just couldn’t fathom anyone choosing to be a mercenary. They prayed on innocents and extorted money all in the name of ‘protection’. They didn’t truly mean it and would turn at the sign of the bigger paycheck, so Liam disliked Colin’s sister immediately. Cerise pinned him with eyes glittering with ice. Liam actually took a step back at the look in those eyes.

“How could I be bitter? I was a disappointment to the great Alec Ryder my entire life boy-o. Why would I start wanting his approval now?” Cerise laughed bitterly at Liam, she tried not to dwell on why her father turned her away from the Pathfinder’s team. She wouldn’t be where she was if he didn’t, and the thought of her team and Evfra flashed through her mind. Maybe it wasn’t all so bad. Liam realized he had gone too far as Cora winced. “Am I sad he’s gone? Yes. Yes, because I know how close Colin was to him.” Cerise snapped. Liam huffed and told Cora he was going back out to the Nomad.

“Cerise. Don’t let Liam get to you.” Cora began as she raised her hand. Cerise looked at Cora and she didn’t see any hurt in her eyes. That surprised her. There was only fury, iced over, in Cerise’s eyes. There was bitterness too, but Cerise blocked it with the anger.

“Look Cora. Pretty boy there is hardly the first person to insult me. They weren’t even inventive insults. You should hear some of the turians and krogan when they come to the bar.” Cerise laughed and shook her head. “Insults aren’t going to do me any harm.” Cora sighed and nodded. “Now I’m headed back to my headquarters. They’re taking a suspiciously long time back there.” Cerise just wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Colin would no doubt be raking Reyes over the coals for the betrayal. _Well, he gets his outpost now. Hope it was all worth it._ Cerise headed out into the Kadaran sunshine, holding up her hand to block it out. She winced at the sunlight and headed over to her shuttle. Liam watched her go with furious eyes but she didn’t pay him any mind. She was more than used to this type of reaction. She wasn’t a mercenary leader without a good reason. Colin came out a few moments later with Cora, who was speaking to him in hushed tones. She knew that she didn’t belong over there, and she got into her shuttle with a sad shake of her head. Her heart was heavy as she turned her back on her brother to leave the site.

Cerise got into the shuttle and headed back to the command center. Pain stabbed at her as she thought of her brother going off into danger, but there was nothing she could do. Kadara was settled now and his outpost would be set up soon. Cerise wondered how _that_ was going to work out with the cutthroats on Kadara. She got a call from Reyes as her shuttle touched down.

“Hello Ryder. I have a proposition for you.” Reyes saw the irritated look on her face and bit back his chuckle. They already had that tentative alliance between them, what did he want _now?_ “How about we split protecting Diteon here on Kadara?”

“Me? Protecting the Initiative? Did my brother beat what little brain cells you had out of you?” Cerise asked with a biting tone. Reyes sucked in a sharp breath and his low growl was a warning. Cerise ignored it, he _knew_ her stance on the Initiative.

“Come now Eve. Surely it will benefit you if the Initiative is protected here.”

“How exactly will I be benefiting from this? I don’t accept jobs from the Initiative, we don’t target the Initiative, and we certainly don’t trade with them.” Her hand went to her hip as she shook her head at her omni-tool. He sighed and rolled his eyes skyward at the stubborn woman.

“I would never ask something of you that I wasn’t willing to do myself.” Reyes told her honestly. She told him what he could do with his offer and shut off the comm lines. She ran a hand through her hair in irritation before she went to her office. She knew her answer was going to be no to the outpost, she didn’t want to get involved with the Initiative and she knew her company wouldn’t want that either.

“You got an email it seems.” Anxo told her without looking up.

“Me? Weird, they don’t normally email me.” Cerise murmured. Anxo was the one who usually got the emails. “Can this day get _any_ weirder?” Cerise sighed as she collapsed onto her chair. The familiar creak of the leather of the chair was comforting, she leaned back and looked at her terminal with a dubious gaze. There was no tension about if she’d get stabbed in the back, and the people there understood her. She understood them. It was _home._

“I hear we’re helping protect that outpost?” Lister poked his head in a few moments later.

“What? Fuck no. Who the hell told you that?” Cerise asked in an incredulous voice. She had just decided not to take Reyes up on his offer, how the fuck did it get to her troops?

“You should check that email Cerise. I’d hate for it to be important.” Anxo reminded her as she scrunched up her face. He saw the look of relief pass over Lister’s face at Cerise’s answer. He felt some relief himself, there had been some anxiety about helping the Pathfinder with the outpost. Luckily, he saw Cerise had her loyalties in the right order.

“But it’s never anything important! It’s usually some pathetic attempt at a scam!!” She whined as Lister stifled a grin. Moments like this made him like his boss, she seemed more real. In battle, she just seemed so untouchable because of that wall of ice that surrounded her. He knew she was dangerous, but she’d gotten him out of Sloane’s racket before he lost all his humanity. Lister would never have met Trixa that way, and he owed Cerise his loyalty.

“Just check it Cerise.” Anxo told her as he went back to his paperwork. Cerise opened the terminal and brought up the email.

“So, who’s it from?” Lister asked as he eased a hip onto the edge of her desk. He shuffled through some of the job requests there on the data pads.

“It’s from.” Cerise paused and then tilted it to the side in confusion. It was one of her quirks she had. “Well, _hello_.” Cerise grinned as Lister tried to look over her shoulder but she deleted the email. “Oops.”

 _“Boss!”_ Lister whined as he caught a small glimpse of the email. He’d seen a tantalizing glimpse of glistening bare skin before she’d deleted it. He was pretty sure he’d seen a nipple too.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. Did you want to see the naked women with the glistening boobs?” Lister growled, muttering about his stingy boss, as he stomped out of the office with Cerise’s laughter chasing him into the hallway.

“That wasn’t well done of you.” Anxo scolded despite the grin on his lips. Cerise wiped her face and breathed in deeply.

“Like I give a shit.” Cerise leaned back in her chair and Anxo looked over at her. He chuckled at her despite the serious look on her face, he knew she didn’t truly mean it. She just wanted to give Lister a hard time, and she was still wound up from earlier. News had travelled fast about what had happened in the cave with Reyes and Sloane.

“All right. Do you mind looking at some of the paperwork?” Anxo saw her groan and put her forehead on the desk in defeat. He hid the grin as he put the stack of papers on her desk. “There you are. These need your signature. Then you should be good to go.” Cerise shook her head and gave up in defeat. The pile would only get bigger.

“Fine. I’ll take it on. What else can happen anyway?” Cerise grumbled as she picked up the papers. Cerise would regret those words, as she knew to never ask that question. It was inviting trouble, and trouble didn’t take long to find her.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise gets an email from Evfra severing their relationship and it triggers the ghosts of her past. Then Colin delivers the news that the Archon knows she has the same implant that he has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait for an update. I got caught up writing for SpecRec and got a little burnt out. But I'm back and there will be semi-regular updates now!

The email had been unexpected. Cerise sat at her desk, laughing with Anxo about something Jusca had done on a mission when the ping caught her attention. She’d glanced over and her heart sped up when she’d seen who the sender was. Anxo chuckled as he saw the sloppy grin on Cerise’s face and she threw a crumpled paper ball at him in retaliation. He nimbly dodged it and ducked out of the office to give her privacy. Cerise opened the email but as her eyes scanned the document her heart sank. A heaviness settled in her as the words registered in her mind.

_Ryder,_

_The Initiative has discovered our connection. I do not know how they did so, but proof was sent along with the message I received. I was given a choice. End our relationship or the Initiative would pull support for the angaran people. I am sorry. I cannot abandon them._

_Evfra_

Cerise felt the whisper in the back of her mind. _You’ll never be good enough._ She clenched her fists, not even feeling the pain as her nails bit into her skin. Cerise felt the old doubts and insecurities settle over her shoulders, clinging to her back and weighing her down. Like a spectre, hovering and waiting for a vulnerable moment to strike. _Once again, you were discarded. Someone else was chosen over you._ Her fists pushed against her temples to ward off the dark thoughts. _You’ll never be worth anything._

The chair fell over with a clatter as Cerise snapped to her feet. She couldn’t let the thoughts overpower her, those old insecurities weren’t real. The ghost of her past brushed its hand across her mind and the memories of her childhood surfaced. “No. I _won’t_ do this.” The words were forced out through clenched teeth. Her entire body hummed with barely leashed energy. The hurt was trying to chip away at the wall she kept firmly wrapped around her mind. Not until she was alone; she refused to break down until she was alone.

Anxo went into the office as he saw Cerise dart out, her eyes had been filled with hurt and her face twisted in pain. Worry lined his face as he turned and saw her terminal open. He normally didn’t pry, not seriously. His eyes scanned the message and a curse ricocheted off the walls like a stray bullet. Fury pounded at his temples as his eyes scanned the email twice, to make sure he was reading it right. He knew Cerise would be hurting and she tended to lick her wounds in private. Anxo wasn’t going to let this one stand and he knew _just_ who to call.

Cerise stared at the ceiling of her quarters and saw the lights shift and twist as her vision blurred from unshed tears. The tears spilled out, silent and ignored, as her mind whirled like a storm at sea. The repressed emotions she’d kept carefully locked away threatened to bubble up within her, bordering on hysteria. The first memory that surfaced was one she had truly tried to forget and it was the first time Colin’s biotics had manifested.

She lifted her left arm and held it against the light. There’d been no physical reminders of what had happened, only emotional. Cerise knew that was the moment that set her fate in motion. The family had told everyone that it had been broken because Cerise had tumbled out of one of the trees on the Citadel, but that was just a cover. Colin had gotten mad at her for something, she couldn’t even remember now, and his biotics had thrown her across the room. The sickening snap as she landed wrong on her arm had reverberated throughout the bedroom and brought Colin back to his senses. Their parents had gotten Cerise to the doctor and gotten Colin some of the best biotic tutors they could afford. Cerise remembered the days afterwards when her parents spent time with Colin to help him with his biotics. Cerise wouldn’t say she’d been abandoned, as her parents had been good to her. They’d been rightfully worried about Colin’s biotics, they were powerful. Unfortunately, Cerise was left to her own devices a lot while Alec was away on a mission and Ellen was busy with her research. By the time they’d finally gotten Colin settled, Cerise had already developed the stubborn independent attitude that grated on her father. Her parents hadn’t known what to do with her flippant nature nor with her constant fights. They knew Cerise was defending the kids from bullies but Ellen did not agree with violence.

That was the time Alec had enrolled Cerise in the martial arts training. It certainly helped her curb her temper and learn techniques for defending herself. She mostly used it for defending those who couldn’t defend themselves. Her teacher had been disappointed in her but he recognized the desperation in Cerise, the bid for attention. Her teacher had tried to offer up some of the attention the child was seeking from her parents but it had only made her rebel more. Even as a child, she’d been sure that her parents didn’t want a child that caused so many problems. Her brother didn’t give them any trouble. Despite it all, Cerise never held it against her brother. Colin had always accepted her for who she was. The twins were thick as thieves despite having the wildly different personalities.

Then came that night on the Citadel. Cerise had been on her way home from a party celebrating high school graduation. She’d walked past some criminals beating up a turian teenager. Anger had whipped through her and she’d barged in without thinking things through. She’d taken down the would-be muggers and they’d bolted as the sirens had shown up. C-SEC had assumed that Cerise had been the aggressor and was the one who assaulted the turian kid, who was unconscious from the vicious thrashing. She’d been arrested and had refused to give the arresting officer her parents’ number. She’d mouthed off and got him angry enough to forget to get the information. They knew who she was, but she was eighteen. An adult in human years and so they didn’t technically have to call her parents on her behalf anymore. The thought of her Dad knowing was too much. He’d already gotten into some trouble with his proposal for the AI. Cerise didn’t want to trouble them any further with her antics, and her mom was dealing with her illness.

She’d looked up as the door to her cell slid open and the turian stood there. He didn’t appear much older than Cerise. He jerked his thumb towards the lobby. “You’re free to go. The victim gave his accounting of the incident.” Cerise scowled at the officer, his mandibles twitched at her gaze. She saw the blue facial markings and swore she’d seen similar ones before. She’d given them a description of the others but because she was _known_ to them, they’d refused to believe her. The realization stung but she wasn’t one to discount her blessings.

“Fine.” He told her where to get her things and stared at her with a cool, assessing gaze. Cerise felt her hackles rising but he merely shook his head.

“My boss wants to call your father. I convinced him not to.” He saw her raised eyebrow and let out a harsh laugh. “You’re not the only one who has issues with parents in authority.” He flashed her the turian’s equivalent of a grin. Cerise felt her lips tug into a reluctant smile. It was nice to have someone understand, even if it was a cop. Cerise had arrived home and had been read the riot act by her Dad.

Alec Ryder had been so furious when she’d walked in the door. He swore up and down she’d worried her mother, despite Colin covering for her. He’d given her the ultimatum then and there. She joined the Alliance like her brother or he’d disown her and she’d never be allowed contact with her family. Pain and panic had whipped through Cerise with gale force winds. Alec had been furious and regretted his words the minute they left his mouth, but he was far too stubborn to take them back. Cerise had accepted the ultimatum and chose the Alliance, despite the damage to her pride. She had plans, she’d _had_ plans, to finally live her life free of her father’s influence. All those plans were swirling down the drain now. Her mother was dying from the terminal illness, and the thought of being cut off from Ellen… That had cut deeply in Cerise. Despite that her mother never understood her, Ellen was still her _mother_.

The Alliance had been glad to have a strong soldier. Cerise had gotten her degree through it, despite being better with mechanical things. She’d been a decent soldier, despite her minor issues with authority. She had a penchant for not following the orders of dumbasses, her own words, and that had ruffled a few brass feathers. Not to the point of it being a black mark on her record, but she was not exactly flying under the radar like her father had wanted her to. Her brother had become a decorated soldier, despite guarding a more peaceful relay. Cerise had scuffles with pirates and slavers while out on the dig sites.

Her Mom passed away and it had shattered her world. Alec had already been discharged from the Alliance due to his AI research. Cerise had heard the whispered taunts, the snickers, and the haughty comments from the others. The Alliance barred her from re-enlistment because of her father’s actions and she’d come home. Alec had brought her and Colin into the Initiative and explained his role to them. He told the twins that he was gathering up a specialist team for the Pathfinder. He put Colin in the position of recon specialist and then introduced Cerise to Sloane Kelly, her direct supervisor in the Nexus security. She’d been surprised and argued about staying on her father’s team. He’d informed her _I need someone who will listen to orders and not cause trouble. I’m sorry Cerise, but you will be on the Nexus security team._ It had been a slap in the face to her. She had hoped that her father would see she’d gotten a rein on her temper and how well she’d done in the Alliance. Sure, she’d ruffled feathers there but she’d never caused actual problems. Instead, she saw that Alec Ryder still saw her as that little girl with a chip on her shoulders. They’d parted with harsh words spoken between them, and those were the final ones. Cerise wouldn’t get a chance to apologize to her father, he was gone. Lost before the Hyperion even docked at the Nexus. She sat up in bed and crossed her legs in front of her.

“Would you have listened to my side of the story Dad? Or would you have believed that I was a dirty exile like Tann tells everyone?” Cerise figured she knew the answer. The realization stung but she knew her father would have taken Tann at his words. Cerise heaved a sigh and swiped at her eyes. First her dad, then the Initiative, and now Evfra. _You’ll never be good enough._ Cerise grit her teeth and shook her head against the involuntary thought. She hated that shadow in her mind, the self-doubts from childhood that closed in at vulnerable times, like a hungry predator. She would feel suffocated as the thoughts pressed in on her mind.

“Ugh. Cerise.” She ran a hand through her hair and reminded herself she always knew this was a possibility. She’d told Evfra that she would never make him choose between her or his people. Yet the hurt still burned in her chest. A scorching throbbing mess that seared her with its vicious claws. Self-doubt combined with a breaking heart. She was so stupid to let her guard down and expect more. The door to her quarters opened and she jerked her head up and saw Anxo standing there. A tight smile was all she had in her to give and his eyes narrowed in concern as he padded over to her side. They’d been together the longest out of all the members of the company. He would understand out of all of them.

“Cerise. I saw the email.” He saw her cringe and hurt for his friend. Despite all the joking and teasing that went on, he knew that Cerise would lay down her life in an instant for any of the crew. He’d do the same for her. She was his family.

“Yeah. I’ll be okay Anxo. I just need a day or two to get my head in the right place.” Cerise patted his shoulder reassuringly. Anxo wasn’t so sure. He had seen the change that had come over Cerise when she’d been in the relationship with the angara. She’d been more open with her emotions and had been happier than Anxo had seen her since coming to Andromeda.

“Are you sure Cerise?” Anxo murmured quietly and he saw the human go still. He saw the second she decided to be honest with him. She shook her head and drew her knees up to her chest as her fists pressed against her temples. His heart dropped as he saw the pain in her face and he put his hand on her head to reassure her. He’d never been good with emotions and felt awkward with big displays. Yet he knew Cerise didn’t need to be alone. She needed someone and he was the best thing available at the moment.

“It was different this time.” Cerise’s voice was quiet, her eyes unfocused and glazed over with the pain storming through her. “I shouldn’t have let it happen. I _know_ better.” Cerise turned her head and clenched her jaw. “I don’t have much of a choice in getting over the hurt. Kadara, _Andromeda,_ will chew me up and spit me out if I don’t get a handle on this.” Cerise unfolded her legs and looked up at Anxo. “I’ve survived this much so far. I think it’s a safe bet I can get through this.” Anxo squeezed her shoulder and nodded, his green eyes filled with kindness.

“You are a survivor Cerise. First there was the uprising in the Nexus, getting thrown off, and then Koshak.” Anxo’s voice was tight as the two soldiers remembered the asari brothel madame, and the aftermath. It had taken weeks for Cerise to not jump at every little shadow. She still had nightmares about it at times, and large krogan males put her on edge. Especially if they had Grux’s coloring. “Then that shuttle crash on Havarl.” Anxo nudged her with his elbow as she laughed. It was easier to laugh about it now, she couldn’t believe it had been so long ago since she’d landed on Havarl in a fiery ball of twisted metal. “Andromeda hasn’t done away with you yet despite trying its best Ryder. You’ll get through this. You have me and the rest.” Cerise nodded and took a deep breath. The hurt would be there, it would always be there. Letting it take control was a sure path to death. Cerise had survived too much to let it get the best of her. Survival was the most important thing and she’d do well to never forget it again.

“Thanks, Anxo. I’ll take a shower and head downstairs. Maybe watch Jusca beat the hell out of Lister again.” Cerise flashed him a quick grin, though he still saw the shadows of pain in her face. He knew it would get better for her.

“Sure. Take your time Cerise.” Anxo patted her shoulder again and stood. He headed out to the stairs and down to the common room. His omni-tool pinged and he saw his contact from the Nexus got back with him.

“Sweet Spirits Anxo. I could get into some serious trouble for this.” The turian woman whispered furiously as he brought up the screen.

“I know. But I wouldn’t have called in the favor if it wasn’t important. I need to know if we have a traitor in our company.” She nodded and blew out an irritated breath.

“Well rest easy there. This didn’t come from Kadara. The message that was sent to the Resistance came from the Nexus itself.” Anxo swore viciously. “I’ve been trying to track down the original but I have to be careful.”

“No. You’ve done enough. Thanks Sid.” Anxo nodded and the turian flashed him a smile before she cut the comm channel as someone approached. “Shit.” Anxo grumbled as he passed a hand over his face. There wasn’t anyone from the Nexus who should know about their connection to the Resistance, let alone Cerise’s relationship with Evfra. He didn’t doubt Sid’s work, she was young but she was a genius when it came to hacking into terminals. Another mystery but he wasn’t so sure he wanted to solve this one. Cerise had enough hurt and so long as the mysterious email sender stayed away from The Serpents, he was content to let the situation lie. The minute trouble stirred up was the minute the sender would find out that Cerise wasn’t the _only_ one who could be vicious. The nosey bastard would realize that he’d prodded a nest of vipers. Anxo sailed into the lounge area and discussed the mission reports with Trixa.

Cerise stepped out of the shower right as her omni-tool pinged. She peered down to see the sender and groaned as she saw Colin’s ID flashing. _What the fuck is Colin calling me for?_ Cerise grumbled as she answered the call, careful to keep the video off. “What is it Colin?” Cerise was short, harsher than she meant to be, but she figured she could get a pass.

“So, figured you should hear this from me.” Cerise narrowed her eyes as her brother was talking slower than normal. He sounded tired. “I died today.” Cerise blinked in surprise, too stunned to form an actual word, as her mouth dropped open. Shock slapped her and her body went numb for a few good seconds.

“Wait. You _what_!?” She ran a hand through her dripping hair as she brought up the omni-tool and turned on the video. She didn’t care about her bare shoulders as she needed to hear what her twin had been up to.

“Jesus Cerise! Put on some clothes!”

“Hey! You’re the one who called me. Now spit it out Colin.” Cerise was not having this conversation with her brother. Her eyes flashed a warning at him.

“Or what? You’ll come beat me up?” Colin’s voice was exhausted but she still detected the mockery in it.

“You’ll come back to Kadara at some point.” Colin laughed as he saw the pigheaded look on his sister’s face.

“Sorry… So, here’s the thing. You know those implants that Mom and Dad insist we get?” Cerise nodded as she leaned against the bathroom counter, the towel snug around her body. “Well, Dad _kind of_ overrode the safety protocols on those. SAM is pretty much solidly linked with my physiology now.” Colin winced as he saw the anger flash through Cerise’s eyes. “And well. We were on the Archon’s flagship.” _“What!?”_ “I’m fine. Well, I’m fine now. Anyway. Just listen okay?” He saw the reluctant nod she gave him but her eyes promised retribution if he didn’t get to the point soon. “The Archon had us trapped in these containment fields and the only way to get out was to have SAM kill me.” He saw his sister fight the urge to interrupt but she remained silent. It was amusing to see the struggle to keep quiet on her face, her face twisting into interesting expressions as she kept her mouth shut. Something he was very thankful for, after all the lectures and comments he’d gotten from the crew already. “He brought me back. It was the only way to escape. Also, the Archon put some sort of neural bio transmitter in my body. So, when I died he was able to access my memories.”

“That makes no sense…” Cerise pressed her free hand to rub her forehead. It was a lot of information to process and Colin wasn’t making any sense. She knew that bio transmitters were a thing, but they’d been theoretical when they’d left the Milky Way. To think the kett possessed something like that, well it sent an ice-cold shiver skittering down her spine.

“Yeah. It didn’t to me either, but Suvi assures me that he was able to do a scan of my brain and pick up the memories. Cerise…” Colin paused and she saw the shadow on his face. An uneasy shiver passed down her spine, sending goosebumps all over her body. A sinking feeling weighed down her stomach as she saw Colin struggle with the next part. She had a sneaking suspicion it involved her.

“The Archon. He knows about you thanks to my memories.” Colin spilled it out as fast as he could. Cerise froze, every muscle went tense as fear sped her heart rate into a gallop. The memory of the kett ship that had sent her to Havarl flashed through her mind. The edges of her vision went grey as she felt a bone deep fear settle in her body. The Archon knew about her, knew she possessed the same implant as her brother. Alec Ryder had insisted Cerise get the implant despite not being on the Pathfinder team.

“D-does he know _where_ I am?” Cerise’s voice shook and she could’ve bitten her tongue off in humiliation at showing how much the news rattled her. She had to know. If the Archon knew she was on Kadara, it wasn’t _just_ Cerise at risk. Her entire company was at risk of being ensnared by the kett leader.

“No. He only knows _of_ you. Suvi and Lexi both assured me that he doesn’t know where you are. There’s no reason for him to know. Sis, this thing we found in the ship. It’s connected to all the vaults.” Colin began as he saw Cerise’s color return to her face. “It’s a chance to make Heleus livable. I’m going to take it.” He paused and struggled to ask the next question.

“You want to ask if my company will come help you if it comes down to a push for whatever it is you found.” Cerise spoke the same words he was thinking. Colin looked stunned but then he figured he shouldn’t have. They knew each other well enough to know what the other wanted.

“Yes. It’s for all of Andromeda. Reyes has already promised his support when the time comes…” Colin trailed off as another figure entered the vid screen. Cerise’s lips curved into a bittersweet smile as she saw Jaal lean down and press a soft kiss to the top of her brother’s head. She was hurting from knowing that kind of happiness would never be hers, but genuine happiness for her brother bubbled up within her. He’d been through just as much shit as she had, and of all the people she’d known in the Milky Way, her brother deserved happiness. The bonus was her brother flushed ten shades of red within ten seconds and Jaal chuckled.

“Ah! Dearest sister!” Jaal’s happy voice was too infectious. Cerise felt her lips pull into a genuine smile. With the happy angaran man around, it was hard to stay gloomy.

“Jaal. Are you still taking care of my brother? I heard he died…” The look of sheer horror passed over Jaal’s face as he thought she was angry with him. Cerise laughed and assured him she was only teasing, she wasn’t angry with him at all. Just with Colin.

“We’re heading towards Meridian now. Khi Tasira is the actual name, but I have a good feeling.” Colin grinned at her as Cerise shook her head at him. She had the opposite feeling. The odd sense of doom that pressed in at the edges of her mind, tarnishing a happy moment with her twin. Cerise was determined to not let her apprehension get in the way of her brother’s excitement.

“Good luck Colin.” Cerise saw Colin’s eyes flit up to hers and the smile crinkled the corners. “No more dying though.”

“Fine. Lexi already lectured me on that anyway.”

“I may like this Dr. T’Perro. And the answer is yes. If this thing about Meridian is the real deal, you can count on the full force of my company behind you. And _only_ you. Tann can fuck right off.” Cerise chuckled and disconnected the call with her brother. Her arm lowered like a lead weight in the ocean. Sick dread rolled over her in thick waves, leaving a disgusting oily trail in its wake. Cerise scrunched her face in an effort to keep the panicked thoughts at bay. The Archon only knew of her, and he didn’t know where she was. She would talk to Grayson about putting up some prevention tech around the headquarters to ward off kett detection. She didn’t even know if it was possible, but _something_ had to be done to ease her mind or she’d drown in the panic. She left the bathroom and pulled on her clothes. The internal debate raged inside her, she didn’t know if she should tell Anxo and the others about the Archon.

Cerise decided to tell her team, but only after she spoke to Grayson about putting up more defenses against kett technology around their base. The others would surely understand her precaution.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has the balls to take Sid off the Nexus and now the Serpents are out for blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some writer's block to work through for this chapter. I've still got 2 fics left from my Tumblr giveaway.

The deafening bellows in the entryway drew Cerise and Anxo down from the office. A few days had passed since Colin’s vid call and he’d sent her a note that Meridian was on hold due to some backlash from the Nexus. His exact words had been: _some political blowup happened while I was taking care of some business on Elaaden. Shit storm is an understatement sis._ It had certainly piqued her interest but the Nexus had nothing to do with her or her company. She’d simply wiped it from her mind as none of her concern and she went about her day. Now it seemed the situation had landed on her front door in the form of a fury filled turian.

“Vetra? Trixa? What is going on?” Cerise saw Lister holding Trixa back and Jaal had Vetra restrained. Anxo’s soft voice hadn’t gotten their attention so Cerise gave a sharp whistle. The shrill sound pierced through the haze of fury and everyone paused to look at the human. Colin popped his head around Jaal and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Cerise there. He hadn’t been sure on what to do with everyone.

“What the hell is going on here?” Cerise demanded as Colin looked nervously at Vetra. Fury lined every bit of her carapace and she turned her green eyes on Anxo and Cerise, her mandibles were vibrating with her barely constrained rage. Trixa could hear the sub vocals growling in temper, Vetra was _pissed._

“One of your people here got my sister involved in some shady shit! Now she’s been taken by some fucking scavengers on Elaaden!” Vetra snarled at Cerise. Cerise’s jaw dropped in shock, only one thought flew through her mind: _Who?_ Vetra saw the genuine shock on the human’s face and she realized that Cerise had no clue what was going on. It alleviated some of the fury she had towards the mercenary company, as she’d heard they didn’t get kids involved at all. Cerise turned on her heel to look at her people.

“I want answers _now_.” Her silver eyes flashed dangerously at the group. Anxo stepped forward with his hands clasped in front of him.

“I asked her to look into the email that was sent to the Resistance, but only that.” Anxo explained and Jaal tightened his hold on Vetra. “When she told me, it originated from the Nexus I told her to leave it. If it wasn’t one of us or someone from Kadara, then we didn’t need to bother with it.” Anxo looked at Vetra who was still shaking with anger. “I told her to drop it as it was too dangerous. I wouldn’t involve a teenager in anything deeper than checking where an email originated.”

“Sid wouldn’t let something like that pass Vetra. You know that. No doubt Sid got curious and dug a little deeper than she should have. Just like what happened last time.” Colin murmured quietly to Vetra who shot him a glare. She knew he was right, but it was hard to trust the mercenary group. Cerise ran a hand down her face in irritation, all of this began because of that damn email to her. Now she had to deal with this sense of obligation and she _hated_ being obligated to anyone. Especially if it involved Elaaden, the eighth circle of hell.

“Look. Do we have an idea of where they went? If we do my company will go and investigate. My company won’t get half as much attention as the Pathfinder would.” Cerise pointed out. “We’re not exactly strangers to the scavs on Elaaden but they won’t automatically sound the alarm.” Vetra grunted but she saw the wisdom in what Cerise said. The Pathfinder would attract a lot more attention than a familiar mercenary group. Colin wouldn’t get as much information at the Serpents either. “So, you’ll go to your outpost. Maybe Morda will have some more information. We’ll get what we can and report back to you.” Cerise folded her arms across her chest, irritation snapping in her eyes. She was _pissed_ that the situation had blown up the way it had, and she realized it was mostly her fault this happened. She ran a hand through her blonde hair as she contemplated who could’ve taken Sid form the _Nexus_ of all places. That place was one of the more secure facilities in Andromeda, but somehow they’d been able to smuggle a teenage turian off the station. A teenage turian wasn’t exactly tiny.

“Cerise. You sure you want to do this?” Trixa shrugged off Lister’s arm and looked at her boss. Cerise looked over at her turian friend.

“Sid’s in this mess because of us. When one of us messes up, it affects all of us. If you’re uncomfortable with the mission I can bring Jusca. She’s been wanting to visit the krogan colony anyway.” Trixa turned her head and gave a tight nod before leaving. Cerise wondered what words had been exchanged before she and Anxo arrived, she’d ask Lister later. Cerise jerked her head towards the door and the man zipped out after her.

“We’ll get suited up and head over to Elaaden.” Cerise told Colin. He agreed and they parted ways with Vetra sending a glare towards the mercenaries before the door shut behind them. Cerise whirled around, fury burning in her eyes, and she pinned a glare at Anxo demanding answers. He held up his hands defensively and began to quickly explain.

“Sid was able to isolate the email to someone from the Nexus. How someone got any kind of evidence that the two of you were involved is mind boggling. I told her to leave it. It would be too dangerous to be involved with someone threatening both the Initiative and Resistance.” Anxo assured Cerise who blew out a breath. Anxo wouldn’t lie, not to her, and he certainly wouldn’t get minors involved in this kind of trouble. Not after what had happened with his sister back in the Milky Way.

“Fine. We’ve got the coordinates?” Jusca nodded. “Then let’s suit up and get out. Trixa and Lister are staying here. Grayson is coming with us this time. We may need someone to hack into that damn Flop House security.” Cerise grumbled as she pulled up Grayson on the omni-tool. He agreed to meet them at the shuttle and Cerise went into the armory. The trip to Elaaden was uneventful as the small strike team gathered up what little pieces of intel they had on the location and any known players. The information they could get from their usual sources just magnified the irritation.

“Morda tells me that the Pathfinder cleared out the Flop House at one point. But the Initiative was too slow in getting people in there. Some new group moved in, determined to make a name for themselves. They call themselves, get this.” Jusca paused as she struggled to get her laughter under control. “Mongoose.”

“Oh, for the love of everything holy. If _that’s_ not a direct challenge, I don’t know what is. Are they stupid?” Cerise rolled her eyes as Grayson let out a peal of laughter in the co-pilot’s chair. “That’s not even a proper name! Mongoose. What the hell?” Cerise felt her lips tugging into a reluctant smile as they approached Paradise. _Mongoose, indeed. Someone has a personal grudge against me and mine._ It was easy enough to get a local shuttle so they could remain inconspicuous while in Paradise, everyone was out to make a quick buck there.

“Steal or try to scrap my shuttle and you will pray the adhi get to you first.” Cerise snarled at the dock master. He held up a hand in defense. No one around Elaaden was stupid enough to mess with any shuttle that had Collective or Serpent logos. Every single scav and outlaw knew those two organizations were the top dogs in the criminal underbelly of Andromeda. They climbed into the other shuttle and the pilot was chatty about the new group.

“Yeah. These guys just moved in a week ago? Pissed a lot of us off at Paradise. The Collective was considering getting into the Flop House before the Initiative. The Charlatan must be pissed about this.” Cerise rolled her shoulders as she could imagine Reyes being unhappy with the situation on Elaaden. He’d wanted to expand his influence beyond Kadara and had approached her for help. She’d turned him down flat as she wasn’t out for putting a bigger target on her back. She’d help him secure facilities if he lacked the manpower but it would cost him. She wasn’t known for a bleeding heart after all. The snap of irritation in those honey colored eyes had pleased her greatly when she’d mentioned payment. Though she _could_ turn this to her advantage, she sent off a quick message on her omni-tool.

“That name huh?” Jusca encouraged the pilot to talk more, as Cerise and Grayson listened quietly. Both with identical smug grins on their faces as they cleaned weapons in the back.

“Oh yeah. Mongoose. Guess whoever is in charge has a bone to pick with you guys huh? They must be idiots to think they could go up against the Serpents and survive.” He grinned at the krogan who clapped his shoulder. He’d no doubt have bruises later, but he could brag about the encounter for a solid month after this.

“Well said human. Set us down here. We’ll walk the rest of the way.” Jusca told him with a predatory grin. He gave her a small salute and settled the shuttle on the ground. The look on the mercenaries’ faces unsettled his stomach and he was glad he wasn’t sticking around. He had an idea that there would be a lot of bloodshed, but he knew that Paradise would hear about it before the fight was even over. “No need to wait around. Bullets may be flying around here soon.” He nodded and eagerly took off before he got caught in a crossfire.

“So. _This_ is the infamous Flop House?” Disgust threaded her voice as she gestured towards the group of buildings in the carved-out rock. The group sat on the hill overlooking it, waiting for the signal from the Pathfinder. Jusca got settled down with her sniper to scope out the situation.

“Oh yeah. I see our girl in there.” Jusca told Cerise. Sid was leaning against one of the consoles, in clear view of the window. Jusca could see the fear in the turian’s body language. The krogan had no love for turians, given her species’ history with them, but Sid was just a _kid._ You didn’t mess with children.

“Bastards. Kidnapping a kid.” Cerise growled, low and furious. Grayson knew how Cerise felt about minors getting involved in the underbelly of things. He’d always wanted to ask her about it but something always stopped him. Most likely his self-preservation instinct. He’d be interested to know it was personal experience that had Cerise drawing a hard line about minors. That garage she’d worked in as a teenager had been a front for a mafia type family and she’d been lucky to get out alive when she was seventeen. She hadn’t gotten out unscathed, but no one knew about that experience and that was how she wanted it.

“Oh, this is too good. We should save their ring leader for Morda if we want some bonus points Cerise.” Jusca turned her head to look up at the human. “I see William Spender in there.”

“ _Spender!?_ ” Cerise snarled as she whipped out a pair of binoculars to search the building. The large, two story building on the left had its windows open and begging for a sniper attack. She saw Sid sitting there, back against the console, and Spender standing over her. “That son of a _bitch._ How did he survive? Didn’t our security contact say he’d been exiled?”

“You know that slimy worm. He probably had contacts to help him slip under everyone’s nose.” Jusca growled as she knew she’d have been more than happy to put a bullet in his head. After the way he got the krogans exiled by playing on Tann’s hatred and paranoia. Serving up that bastard to Morda would be poetic justice.

“But why is he involved in this? It makes no sense.” Grayson piped up. Cerise paced as she stroked her chin. Theories whirled in her head as Jusca focused the sniper back on the building.

“It can’t be…” Cerise stopped and turned towards the building. “What if Spender is involved with that email from the Nexus? He may still have cronies on the inside.” Cerise saw Jusca stiffen in outrage. The mere thought that someone on the Nexus was fucking with them had red hazing their vision. They left the Initiative alone and she didn’t want to think about someone on the inside keeping tabs on them.

“It makes sense. That weasel would have contacts everywhere. It’s how he stayed out from Addison’s radar.” Jusca growled as she slammed her fist into the ground. Cerise brought her omni-tool up to contact Colin.

“There’s been a complication. William Spender is involved.” Cerise snapped after Colin greeted her. His eyes widened and there was a curse form behind him as Drack heard her.

“Cerise! They’re making a move on Sid.” Jusca snarled in surprised fury. Colin cried out in surprise but Cerise ignored him as she turned to the krogan.

“Shit! Snipe anyone that raises a weapon to her. Grayson, override their security systems. Turn those fucking turrets against them!” Cerise yelled as Grayson’s fingers flew over his omni-tool.

“Cerise!” Colin roared from her omni-tool.

“I can’t wait for you Colin. Get here as fast as you can.” Cerise took off towards the side of the hill, doing a controlled slide down the sandy slope. Her boots helped guide her down the hill without it being a complete disaster, but the dust blocked most of her vision. She rolled as she reached the bottom and pushed off towards the building. She heard the gears of the turrets grinding as she raced through the small clearing between the two main buildings. Cerise bunched her leg muscles to jump up and grab the railing. She barely made it and heaved herself up and over it, thankful she’d made it, and sent a mild curse at being so short.

“Well, _kill_ her!” She heard over the din of automatic weapon fire. That voice fueled the rage boiling in Cerise. _Spender._ That slimy bastard would finally get what was coming to him. The powerful sniper round splintered the safety glass and sent the human that had lifted a knife towards Sid flying. His body landed awkwardly on the floor, the rest of the room completely silent. The blood splattered across his cronies. Sid’s eyes widened and she pressed herself further into the console to make herself as small as possible.

“Fuck! Sniper!” Cerise heard everyone scramble inside. Grayson’s voice crackled over her omni-tool letting her know he’d overridden all their security terminals and he was on his way down. That Pathfinder had given him an ETA of five minutes. Cerise saw the doors to her right sweep open, two of those idiot mercenaries jumping out. Each went down with a well-placed shot from the Eagle.

Cerise crouched and slid over towards the entryway, her back just on the other side of the open doorway. “Hey Spender! Are you ready to have some _fun?_ ” Cerise yelled out into the room. The room went silent as everyone tried to piece together who it was.

“Fuck, is it the Pathfinder?” “No, you idiot, the Pathfinder is a man.” “Shit! Spender! Get back here you fucking coward!”

“Got a bead on Spender boss. Want me to take him out?” Jusca’s voice crackled over the comm line. The mercenaries went silent on the inside.

“Nah. Incapacitate him but don’t kill him. Morda and Drack should have _that_ pleasure. Maybe let Vetra get a piece of him too.” Cerise told her as she stood and walked into the room with her Eagle pointed at one of the mercenaries.

“Fuck me! Spender didn’t mention that the Serpents would be getting involved!” The turian spat as he saw the armor. Cerise grinned behind her visor as she tightened her grip on the pistol.

“With a name like Mongoose did you _really_ think I wouldn’t take the challenge?” Cerise grinned as she saw the other mercs glance at one another.

“We’ll kill the kid if you take one more step.” The turian snarled as he raised his gun towards Sid. The bullet shattered the face plates covering his forehead and he went down, the blood spraying on his comrades.

“I highly doubt that. You see, you are going to let me leave with this kid. If you don’t we’ll make sure there are _no_ survivors.” Cerise told the remaining Mongoose members. “So, do we do this the easy way or the hard way?” The others looked at one another and dropped their weapons.

“I do like it when you see reason.” Cerise grinned as she motioned to Sid to get out the door behind her. “Go on. Your sister should be here soon.” Sid scurried out with her hands still bound, Grayson was waiting outside to get the omni-cuffs off her. He would take her to the extraction point. Cerise walked to the open door and paused as if in thought. “On second thought. Go fuck yourselves.” Cerise tossed the two grenades inside the room and shut the door. Anyone who thought to fuck with children or the Serpents wasn’t one she wanted to leave alive. There was no telling if they’d come gunning for her again.

“Why did you kill them?” Sid demanded as Cerise made it to the extraction shuttle.

“Leaving even _one_ of them alive puts me and my company at risk. That’s not going to happen.” Cerise told her as the Pathfinder’s Nomad came roaring over the top of the hill. Jusca grinned as she loped over to them with Spender over her shoulder. She gagged him and did some superficial healing on his leg. He’d never use it again, but he wouldn’t die from blood loss either.

“What the hell is going on?” Colin yelled as he got out of the Nomad. Vetra and Drack with him. Vetra saw Sid with blood splattered across her body and panic whipped through her.

“It’s not mine Vetra! It’s not mine!” Sid assured her as Vetra ran her hands over Sid to make sure she was okay. Drack went over to Jusca and saw Spender. He growled in blood boiling rage as she told him the story. Cerise told Colin what they’d been able to piece together.

“Any survivors?” Cerise jerked her thumb towards Jusca.

“Just Spender there. And we’re handing him over to Morda. The krogan deserve to have a hand in what happens to him.” Cerise shrugged one shoulder as Colin narrowed his eyes at her. “What? No, I didn’t leave any survivors. Out here you can’t.” Cerise told him. Jusca and Grayson nodded in agreement. Even Drack understood that logic.

“She’s right kid. You’re part of the Initiative and no one wants to fuck with them. Anyone else has to make sure they’re on top of the food chain.” Drack grabbed Spender from Jusca’s shoulder as the younger krogan grinned at him.

“Cerise…” Colin wanted to help her. He also knew that Cerise would spurn it. She was far too stubborn to accept any help. “All right. We’ll bring Spender back to the krogan colony. You guys will be okay with getting back to Paradise?” Colin asked as his attention was snagged by some shuttles landing nearby. He recognized the Collective symbol on them.

“Yeah. We’ll be okay.” Cerise grinned. Sid broke away from Vetra and went over to Cerise.

“Thank you.” She shook her head when Cerise tried to wave it off. “No. I should have listened to Anxo when he told me to drop it. I couldn’t. I found out that there were multiple emails being sent from the Nexus to Kadara and to the Resistance. They all had Tann’s email on them, but he never sent them. They originated from the comm center and Tann never leaves his office.” Sid told Cerise. Colin looked shocked and Cerise looked taken back. Vetra put her hand on Sid’s shoulder.

“Sid.” Sid shook her head at Vetra’s warning. She wasn’t going to get involved any further, but she figured that someone needed to know what was going on. She turned towards Cerise.

“Here is all the data I gathered. I’m leaving it alone now. But Spender’s Nexus contact is still there. I don’t know who it is but they’re how I was smuggled off.” Vetra’s hand tightened as she stared at Colin.

“We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry Vetra.” Colin assured the turian. “SAM, can you analyze this data to pinpoint who is sending the emails?” “ _Of course, Ryder. A moment please._ ” SAM ran the data and pinpointed the culprit.

“Wait. It’s Jefferson? What the hell? I never pinned him for being friends with Spender.” Cerise grumbled as she folded her arms in front of her. “Well, _I_ can’t touch him if he’d on the Nexus. Get him off the station?” The smile that curved on his sister’s lips sent a cold shiver through Colin. “Then he’ll wish he’d never met Spender.” Sid looked at Cerise before Vetra got her into the Nomad, her eyes had flitted nervously between the human and her sister. It would be a tight fit, but they’d make it work.

“Hey there Cerise. We taking you guys back to Paradise?” Crux asked as she stopped in front of the mercenaries.

“Yeah. Thanks for the lift.” Crux grinned as the Collective members spread out in the Flop House to secure it.

“Oh, the Charlatan sends his regards. He’s been eying the Flop House for a while now. When you sent that email that you were clearing it out? He greatly appreciated it.”

“Of course, he does.” Cerise grinned as she turned towards the shuttle.

“Tell me. Do you trust him?” Grayson asked as they settled into the shuttle. Cerise turned to look at the comm specialist. He didn’t look older than her but she knew he was a few years older.

“Who?” Jusca grinned as she crossed her arms. She had a feeling she knew who Grayson was talking about.

“The Charlatan.” Cerise burst out laughing at the question and Grayson looked surprised.

“I trust him about as much as I’d trust a hungry cat with a parakeet.” Cerise explained as she held out her hand in front of her while her lips curved in a predatory grin. “And I’m sure he trusts me just as much as he trusts a cornered snake.” She grinned at the cheesy similes. “We understand one another but it doesn’t mean we trust each other. I’ve no doubt if it would benefit him, he’d turn on me in an instant. The same goes for me if I thought he or the Collective became a threat to my people.” Cerise saw Grayson tense up as the Collective members came back onto the shuttle. Crux chuckled as she walked past them to the pilot’s chair.

“She’s telling the truth there Grayson. But our bosses are smart people and see the benefit in an alliance.” She got the startup sequence going as they lifted into the air. “It’s just business.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter someone makes an appearance. Evfra will come back to Kadara thanks to the Pathfinder. There may also be a bar fight. Yeah, there is going to be a bar fight.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blackmailer has been found and is delivered to the Resistance. Evfra goes to Kadara to settle things, but things are never that easy.

Evfra stared down at his terminal, confusion marring his features. His brows drew together as he tried to find any hidden meaning in the words scrawled on his terminal screen. The words on the screen puzzled him, he was unsure if it was a trap. Given the sender, he chose to err on the side of it not being a trap. She had no reason to trick him or harm him, even after he had to send that blasted email. He despised having to send that email, but his people came first. She knew it and had _told_ him she’d never make him choose. The fact didn’t lessen the pain and rage he’d felt having to send it. Regret had clawed at his heart as he’d hit send, knowing the kind of pain it would inflict. Hurting her had been one of the last things he’d wanted. Her smile, a real smile, was something he treasured. The Moshae and Joevett stared at him as his brow furrowed. His eyes scanned the email three more times before an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “It would seem a trip to Havarl is in order.” One of the soldiers jumped to get a shuttle prepped and ready.

“Whatever for?” Moshae Sjefa peered around Evfra to see the email. There were only a few words written on the page, but it was enough. The email was clear. _Come to Havarl if you want the blackmailer. If not, I’ll take it to mean you’ll let me deal with him as I see fit._ Her cerulean eyes widened in shock as she looked up at Evfra. The email could only come from Cerise, and the Moshae knew, deep in her gut, just how Cerise would deal with the blackmailer if left to her own devices. Torture would not be an option, but the woman was merciless to those who betrayed her. The Moshae respected that even as she disagreed with it. Kadara had a way of hardening even the most respectable of people. Evfra went over to the docking bay and saw to it the shuttle was made ready for them. The Moshae and Joevett both insisted on accompanying him, and there was no talking them out of it. He’d tried and his protests had fallen upon deaf ears. Both the angaran women itched to interfere in his life, despite his best attempts at thwarting them. The trip to Havarl was uneventful and the science outpost looked abandoned, he saw one shuttle off to the side of the building. His heart sped up as he recognized the logo painted on the shuttle.

Evfra stepped out of the shuttle, eyes scanning the area to assess danger. The soldiers spread out to set up a perimeter in case of danger. Muffled sounds came from inside the science building. Weapons drew up and sights were trained on the door as Evfra strode towards it. The door slid open with a soft hiss and he took a step back as a large, imposing figure filled it. Apprehension tightened in his belly as he instinctually knew it wasn’t Cerise.

“Oh. Hey there Evfra.” The female krogan gave him a jaunty salute as she stepped out of the shadows, a struggling lump of squishy human dragging behind her. “Thought we’d get out of here before you guys arrived. Well, shit happens right? Anyway, here is the blackmailer mentioned in the email. The boss sends her regards.” Jusca grinned as she tossed the human at his feet. Jusca laughed at the scathing look Evfra sent her. “Sorry, he’s relatively unharmed. Capturing him didn’t go too smoothly, so he has a few bumps and bruises. The boss couldn’t make it this time. Some bullshit came up on Kadara, and she has to deal with it there.” Jusca threw up a hand after giving the angara an impish grin as if daring him to argue with her. All her mercenaries were protective of their leader, Evfra knew this, and knew he’d get no information from the female about Cerise.

“Who is this?” Evfra demanded as he looked down at the human male at his feet. He ignored the slice of pain that Cerise had chosen to stay on Kadara instead of meeting him on Havarl. It hurt more than he’d cared to admit that she rejected him, despite his own rejection. Jusca grinned as she nudged the male onto his back. Those dark brown eyes filled with fear as he looked between the krogan and the angara.

“His name is Jefferson. Worked out of the comm center in the Nexus. Seems he and Spender, another lowlife scum, were bosom buddies.” Jusca grinned as she stepped down just a bit more than necessary, relishing the pained howl from Jefferson. “He’s the one who had the balls to send emails in Tann’s name to you. Threatening an alliance between the Nexus and the angara.” Jusca released him and saw the Moshae behind Evfra, silently watching the interaction. “Well, he’s yours now.”

“Tell me. What would she do if I refused to deal with him?” Evfra watched the krogan pause and that cold, reptilian grin spread on her lips. The soldiers paused as they felt a trickle of fear at the sight of that flash of teeth.

“You really wanna know?” He nodded and Jusca’s dry laugh bounced off the science outpost, it seemed as if the entire area hushed to hear the plan. “First he’d be beaten for any information we could get. We’d leave him for the adhi in the badlands. If the cannibals didn’t get to him first.” Jusca turned and headed to her own shuttle, tossing a wave over her shoulder as she opened the door. Evfra turned his attention to the man lying on the ground, trying to inch his way to freedom.

“You are not going anywhere. And you _will_ answer my questions.” Evfra’s lip curled in a snarl as rage bubbled inside him. The Moshae quietly put a hand on his shoulder to ground him from the overwhelming temper. The human shrank back in his grasp, fear blanketing his body.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know! Just don’t let that blonde bitch get me!” Jefferson screamed as Evfra dragged him to the shuttle. After the blonde bitch comment, he may not have been as gentle as he would have normally. Jefferson’s head met the side of the shuttle as the Resistance leader tossed him in. The Moshae nodded to the soldiers, they scurried to their transport.

“You will. If your answers are satisfactory then we will not send you to the mercenaries.” Evfra warned him. Jefferson cowered in the corner of the shuttle as they made it back to Aya. When they arrived at the Resistance headquarters, Evfra put Jefferson into a small room.

“Now. Give me my answers. First one. _Why?_ ” Evfra snarled as Jefferson curled into himself at the anger on the angara’s face. He knew he got off easily enough by being handed over to the angara rather than being left to that _woman._

“It was Spender’s idea. He wanted some way to interfere after being sent off the Nexus. Jesus, I thought he was right. Spender knew the Moshae was untouchable, but he figured _you_ had some kind of dirt.” Jefferson sat up against the wall. His head hung low as his eyes stared at the floor. “He threatened to expose me if I didn’t do what he said. Should’ve known that idiot would get caught.” The grumbles spiked Evfra’s own rage.

“How did you get those pictures?” Evfra demanded as his lip curled in a sneer. Jefferson sighed and shook his head.

“Someone on Kadara. Sounds like some state back on Earth in the Milky Way. Colorado? Dorago? Dorado! That’s it. Her name is Dorado. She worked with the Collective before she got kicked out. Dunno why she chose to pick on the Serpents, but I don’t read minds. Stupid if you ask me, everyone knows how Ryder reacts to being challenged.” Jefferson told him in a rush. Adrenaline was pumping through him, making him jittery. Hopefully if he told everything he could, then he’d get some leniency.

“So, you sent the email disguised as Director Tann, thinking to destroy our alliance?” Evfra’s words were slow and enunciated. He had to make sure this was the crimes committed.

“Spender just wanted to pay back Cerise! I swear! He said that just the mere threat of it would be enough to weaken your alliance! I was working under Spender’s orders. I didn’t _want_ to do anything. I just had no choice.” Jefferson told him, his tone pathetic even to his own ears. “What will you do with me now? The Nexus exiled me.” Evfra rolled his head in aggravation. The bioelectricity sparked around him as he stared down at the pathetic human that manipulated him.

“For now, you will stay in our holding cells. The Moshae, the governor, and I will decide your fate when we have time.” Evfra stormed out of the cell and made sure to lock the door behind him. The lock recognized angara bioelectric signals so it was rendered useless to a human. The man lacked his omni-tool, no doubt taken from him by the Nexus before his exile. Evfra saw the Moshae and Joevett waiting for him as he made it to the meeting room.

“Did you get the answers you wanted?” The scoff was her answer, the Moshae refrained from comment as she knew Evfra was a man of few words when it suited him. “Then where are you going?”

“To Kadara.” Evfra explained as he left the room. Joevett clasped her hands in front of her as the Moshae shook her head. This was to be settled between Evfra and Cerise, they would not interfere. Though the older angara wished Evfra luck, the human wasn’t one to forget or forgive easily. He was fighting an uphill battle to gain that one’s affections back.

*************************************************************************

“Hey boss. What brings you to Tartarus?” Lister grinned as he slid in beside Cerise at one of the tables. Cerise drummed her fingers on the table, praying this tip from Reyes wasn’t bogus, and grumbled to herself. “So, someone is impersonating _you_? Are they insane?” Lister chuckled as he tipped the beer bottle up for a long drink. Cerise puffed out an irritation breath as her eyes scanned the area.

“Yeah. Pretty sure whoever it is should be classified as certifiable at this point.” Cerise groused as she leaned back in the chair to scan the room. Lister choked on his beer, someone was sure itching for trouble. Everyone on Kadara knew not to fuck with the Serpents. Especially now that they were seen allied with the Collective. On general purpose messing with mercenaries was bad for surviving long in the badlands, so this just blew Lister’s mind.

“Wow. Someone’s an idiot.” Lister ran a tongue over his teeth and decided he wasn’t quite buzzed enough. “I’m going for another beer.”

“I’ll grab it. I could use some scotch.” Cerise told him as she got up. Lister leaned back and made a quip about the boss being generous today. “Don’t push your luck.” She told him with a mock glare before heading over to the bar. Kian was there polishing a glass. “Scotch. And whatever the hell Lister thinks is decent beer these days.” Kian grinned and chuckled at the crack before he set the tumbler and bottle in front of her.

“Oh, before you go.” He tilted his head to the right and Cerise followed it with her eyes. She saw a woman there that looked familiar, but she wasn’t able to place her name. Her silver eyes connected with Kian’s and he slowly nodded. He mouthed to her _that’s your girl_ before he went back to cleaning his glasses. Cerise narrowed her eyes and slid further down the counter to hear better. The conversation drifted to her.

“I can’t believe you think you’ll get away with that here.” The man chuckled into his glass. The woman giggled in response and lifted her glass.

“Who’s going to not believe me huh? I could say I’m Cerise Ryder and no one would question it.” The woman’s head fell back as she laughed. The alcohol, and something else, had obviously loosened her tongue. Anger boiled inside Cerise as she listened in. Kian met her fury filled glare and nodded, one finger pointing upstairs to let her know this was the tip Reyes wanted to give her. Cerise hated being indebted to that smug bastard, but it looked like this time she would owe him. Just thinking of owing him a favor pissed her off.

“People know what Cerise Ryder looks like.” The man pointed out to his companion. “Dorado, you can’t seriously be telling people you’re Cerise Ryder. Do you have any idea of what she’ll do to you if she finds out? Shit, she’s as bad as the Charlatan!” Her companion’s voice shook from nerves. _Well, one of them is smart at least. Though I highly object to being compared to Vidal._ Cerise grumbled internally. Her eyes rolled heavenward in a silent plea for patience, which was never her strong suit.

“Please. All people pay attention to is the name. Besides, I’ve got those photos of the Resistance leader and Ryder. Doctored of course.” Cerise went rigid beside them as she heard the words. “Just outlandish enough for the Nexus to believe if it ever got to them. The leader of the Resistance in bed with an exile? It would blow a hole straight through that alliance.” Dorado laughed as she tipped back the rest of her drink. “And from the news I got from Aya, it seems to have worked! Hah, Spender will owe me double the credits at this rate. I’m flying high today.”

“Did you take Oblivion? Seriously?” Her companion shook his head. Dorado was riding on that high and nothing would take her down. Cerise glared at the wall. _Shit. She’ll be hard to take down now._ Drugs and anger never mixed well; this would have to be played delicately. She snorted at that thought since delicacy was not exactly her preferred method of conflict resolution.

“Why not? Who’s going to stop me? The Serpents? They answer to Eve and Cerise Ryder, don’t they? All I gotta say is I’m Ryder.” Cerise lifted her eyebrow at Kian who was struggling to keep his composure. Dorado swung around and looked at the somewhat empty room in Tartarus. It wasn’t quite nighttime so the usual crowd wasn’t there. “Hey you fuckers! I’m Cerise Ryder and you’ll all bow down to me if you want to live!” She laughed maniacally after her declaration. The entire room went quiet and shifted their attention to their right. Dorado’s companion saw where the crowd was focused and froze in terror. That usually only meant one thing. Kian sent a message up to Reyes to alert him to incoming trouble. If Cerise let this one go, she’d lose some considerable respect in his eyes.

“Oi, Ryder. I can bill you for the damages later?” Kian leaned in as he saw Cerise’s shoulders shaking with the barely contained rage. The man next to Dorado looked as if he’d seen a ghost. The blood left his face as his eyes darted to the blonde woman sitting next to him. He knew they wouldn’t be walking out of the bar on their own two feet.

“Oh, fuck me.” He whispered as he put two and two together. Lister stood from his spot on the wall and wandered over. Kian shot him a warning glance but the bigger man merely grinned wickedly and gave Kian a saucy wink. That smile was full of trouble as his blue eyes settled over Dorado.

“Did I hear you right? Cerise Ryder? I’ve got a bone to pick with that bitch.” Cerise shot him a glare over her shoulder, the ice in her eyes unmistakable. Dorado slid off her stool, unsteady from the drugs and alcohol, and poked a finger in his chest.

“Yeah? Well, when you mess with one Serpent. You mess with them all. Just lemme call my men down here.” Dorado glared at him. Lister snorted and turned to look at Cerise. The woman was barely able to stand on her own two feet, and he watched her tap furiously on her omni-tool in a pathetic display. He was tired of the game already and he knew Cerise wouldn’t let him have a piece of the fight if she took over.

“Boss. _Please_ let me do something. She’s annoying the piss out of me.” Dorado turned to follow Lister’s gaze as the other woman slid off the bar stool. She turned and Dorado felt the world tilt on its axis. Everyone knew two things about Cerise Ryder. One, she was short. Two, she had unmistakable grey eyes. Grey eyes that now glittered with unmasked rage at her.

“Shit.” That was the only word she got to say before all hell broke loose. Dorado took a swing at Cerise, the sucker punch landing as the mercenary had no time to react. Cerise’s head snapped back as she saw stars, the pain bloomed outward on her chin. She heard a curse from Lister before the bar caught her stumble. Cerise shook her head to clear it and zeroed in on Dorado attempting to make an escape.

“Oh fuck no. You don’t sucker punch _me_ and get out.” Cerise snarled as she took the beer bottle and chucked it at Dorado’s head. Not her finest moment but temper fueled her now. The time for patience and delicacy had left, now they would settle this the old-fashioned way. Dorado stumbled as the bottle connected, and knocked over the table next to her on the way down. The patrons yelled in anger as they stood up. They glared at Cerise who gave them the one finger salute. The all-out brawl began as the patrons charged at Cerise, but she was ready this time. Lister lifted the salarian over his head and tossed him to the side.

“Well, I wouldn’t advise coming down here anymore.” Kian spoke into the omni-tool. He winced as Cerise broke another beer bottle over a turian’s head. The chitin protected him from the brunt of it, but Ryder swung with enough force to have him seeing stars. She followed it up with a swift kick to his midsection, taking all the air out of his chest. Cerise took advantage and gave him a nasty, swift kick to his jugular which finished the job and rendered him unconscious.

“What? Why? What is going on down there Kian?” Reyes’ smooth tones sharpened in irritation. Kian laughed and told him what had happened. “I’ll be down there shortly.”

“Oh. It just got more interesting. The Pathfinder just walked in.” Kian laughed as he heard the vicious curse from the omni-tool as the call cut out. No doubt Reyes would be furious about the fight, but he knew it was unavoidable. Dorado had been too high to think rationally and honestly, Kian would’ve been disappointed if Cerise had let the sucker punch go.

“What the hell?” Peebee laughed as she saw the bar fight in progress, the rough and tumble atmosphere amused the asari scientist. “Drack is gonna be _pissed_ that he missed this.” Dorado had long been knocked out by Cerise, the drug and alcohol in her system keeping her out cold. Colin side stepped a salarian that had been tossed his way. He saw Lister and Cerise in the middle of the floor, standing back to back as other patrons rushed them. The bruise was already spreading on Cerise’s chin. Her knuckles didn’t look much better as she swung at an asari.

“This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks boss!” Lister’s delighted howl reached them over the din of the drunken brawls. Cerise ducked at the punch the asari threw at her, and sent her shoulder into the soft flesh of her stomach. She used her momentum to toss the asari over and sent her ass over heels.

Colin looked over at their guest behind them. “Umm. Found her?” Colin sent Evfra a nervous glance as they heard the cursing from inside. They’d met up when Colin had landed on Aya as Evfra had left to go to Kadara. Colin hadn’t asked many questions after Evfra demanded the Tempest take him to Kadara to find Cerise. Colin had wondered what his sister had done to piss off the Resistance leader, but he was smart enough not to ask. Blue eyes met his silver ones, filled with annoyance. Colin merely shrugged as this was not his fault. He couldn’t very well keep a rein on his sister. “But it seems like she’s in the middle of trouble.” It was lame but Colin didn’t think he should point out the obvious that his sister was involved in a bar fight on Kadara. Likely she didn’t start it, but that didn’t do much to ease Colin’s anxiety as he watched her send one guy on his ass with a single punch to the jaw.

“When is she not embroiled in trouble?” The rumbling tone brought out a chuckle in Peebee. Evfra had Cerise’s number and it amused the asari to see the disgruntled acceptance in the angara’s voice. “It seems to be a familial trait.” Red sufficed Colin’s face at the remark and Jaal fought hard not to laugh at the Pathfinder. Peebee, not having the restraint they did, let out a gut wrenching laugh. The bar fight paused as everyone looked towards the door. Lister had one guy’s collar in his fist, about to slam him onto the table. The entire scene was like something out of a cartoon, and Colin struggled not to laugh at it.

“Pathfinder Ryder! Welcome to Tartarus. I apologize for the welcoming party.” Reyes strolled down the stairs amidst the chaos. Cerise got in one last punch on the asari that tried to deck her, sending the woman down to the ground. Reyes lifted an eyebrow at her but she simply sneered in return.

“We’re done. Ready to go back Lister?” Cerise turned to look at the man who dropped the guy onto the floor. She turned to Reyes with a frigid glare. “If you had a better grip on _your_ people, none of this would’ve happened. But seeing as how I’m in such an _accommodating_ mood, I’ll let you deal with it.” Cerise nudged Dorado’s body with her foot and snorted at Reyes. “Kian, send us the bill, will you?” Kian waved to Cerise as she headed to the door.

“Cerise.” Colin began but stopped as he saw the fury in her eyes. “Okay. Okay.” He held up his hands and stepped back as she stomped through the door towards the badlands. Evfra watched her go with eyes that hinted at the sadness there. It would best to give her some time to cool off before approaching her.

**********************************************************************

“Ow! Fuck off with that alcohol shit!” Cerise howled as Anxo dabbed at the cuts on her knuckles with a cotton ball dipped in the antiseptic solution.

“Quit acting like a child Cerise. You know they have to be cleaned before the medi gel is applied.” The look she sent him would have withered anyone who didn’t know her better. She was all bluster and no bite when it came to patching up wounds. The woman survived torture, a shuttle crash, and numerous fights with mercenaries and soldiers, yet she bitched when it came to a little stinging alcohol. The salarian figured she raged to get it all out otherwise she may have lashed out long ago. He inspected the knuckles to make sure there wasn’t any glass splinters or other debris in her skin. “Right. Now I’ll apply the medi-gel.” Anxo grinned as he rubbed the ointment over her, the strong antiseptic smell assaulted both their noses. He wrapped the bandages around her hands as the medi-gel would take a while to heal up the fractured knuckles. Her jaw was swelling and the bruising spread to her cheek.

“Hey. We got visitors. Looks like the Pathfinder.” Jusca poked her head in to alert them. Cerise snorted as Anxo let her go. He wanted to heal the bruise on her jaw, but she’d been adamant about that. No need wasting any of their first aid kit when her jaw was only bruised and not broken like her knuckles.

“What does he want?” Cerise grumbled as she went to the front of the building to watch the Nomad pull over the hill. Silver eyes narrowed in irritation as the vehicle pulled to a stop. A single vicious expletive left her as she saw who was in the vehicle with her brother. The hurt slapped her in the face, after she’d thought she’d buried it as deep as she could. Denial was her favorite coping mechanism after outright ignoring the problem. She’d given him the blackmailer; the alliance was safe. What did he want with her now? Deep down she knew she couldn’t handle rejection again. It would destroy her. _He’ll never choose you. They never do._ Adrenaline pumped in her system as she saw the group approach her building. Cerise adopted the most belligerent pose she could think of, her arms crossed and shoulders hunched as if preparing for a fight.

“What do you want Colin?” Cerise grumbled as her brother stopped on the step right below her. She saw the plea in his eyes but she chose to ignore it. His eyes roamed over her face, stopping at the bruise. She saw the concern in his face but there was little she could do to ease it.

“Cerise. Will you at least hear Evfra out? Please? For me?” Colin saw the fury snap in her eyes and held his breath as it snuffed out just as quickly. Her shoulders dropped and Colin felt the lance of pain at the brief glimpse of anguish in his sister’s eyes. Anxiety rushed through him at the stark vulnerability that lurked in her face, but it was quickly covered up.

“Fine. There’s not going to be much privacy. Most of the guys are here.” Cerise told them as she stepped back, as much of an invitation as they were likely to receive. Jaal rumbled something in Shelesh to Evfra who glared at him. Colin looked back at the two of them as Cerise stood with her arms crossed in a defensive posture. She rarely gave an inch; Colin hoped that Evfra appreciated his good luck.

Cerise led them to the office, her mercenaries curious about the Pathfinder and leader of the Resistance in the same building with their leader. She called out for Anxo to keep everyone downstairs until her guests left. Anxo saluted and headed downstairs. He gave Evfra and Colin an icy glare before the door shut behind him. The Pathfinder shuddered at the look, they were hypothetically standing in the viper’s nest. “All right. What do you want?” Cerise turned to face her brother and Evfra. “If it’s about the blackmailer, I told Jusca not to mess him up too much before the Resistance got to Havarl.” Cerise pointed out as Evfra opened his mouth. The angara turned his head and addressed Colin.

“Might we have some privacy?” Colin looked confused but Jaal understood perfectly. He steered a spluttering Colin out of the room to give them a chance to speak. Blue eyes pinned Cerise with an inscrutable stare. It instantly put her back up. “Cerise.” She hugged her arms tighter to herself as she braced for whatever he would say.

Evfra noticed the motion; it cut deeply to see her so defensive around him. She was never this timid with him. The mercenary had never been hesitant to go toe to toe with him in the past. Even taking a bullet hadn’t stopped her from putting him in his place when she believed him to be in the wrong. She’d been hurt badly by the email. Hurt and panic roiled inside him as he needed to find the words to fix the gap between them. She’d given him back his _mother_. He remembered the email from earlier, the one he’d sent to Tann with the Pathfinder’s blessing. “Cerise. I.” He began but sighed as the words he’d wanted to say seemed inadequate.

“Don’t. Don’t think you need to apologize Evfra. I understood your reasons for having to end things between us.” Cerise told him in a rush. Her heart wouldn’t be able to take it if he apologized. She felt, deep down, that it would shatter something within her. A simple apology wouldn’t fix the damage and hurt between them. He’d been the one to send the email but she’d given up. Cerise hadn’t fought the decision at all and had calmly accepted it. There’d been little else she could do. It had seemed _wrong_ to argue and tell him he should have picked her over his people. Cerise closed her eyes as the lance of pain went through her. Her eyes stung as she wished she watched the emotions run across his face. She didn’t think there was a way to go back to the way things were. Cerise wasn’t sure she wanted to subject herself to more hurt if anything else like that came down the pipe. Given a choice between saving her or an angaran soldier? Cerise shuddered to think of the choice Evfra would make. _Not you._

“The words seem inadequate.” Evfra sighed as he looked down at the human woman. “I have found a way, I believe, to prevent any more of the Initiative’s,” he paused as he considered the word for it. “High-handedness when it comes to your company.” Blonde hair bounced as her head snapped up to stare at him as confusion clouded her eyes. “You see. The Resistance would like to formally enter into an alliance with your mercenary company. The Pathfinder whole heartedly endorses the idea.” Evfra saw the smile tugging at her lips as she was trying to picture her brother’s reaction to the email. Colin wasn’t quick to anger but when he did he exploded like a volcano.

“There is no way that went over well with Tann.” Cerise retorted. Director Tann took stick-up-the-ass a little too literally for Cerise’s liking. She was sure he’d been a great bureaucrat in his time, but then he’d thrown her off the station for standing up for a wrong. There was no way, not even if Hell froze over, that she’d ever forgive him.

“You would be correct. Director Tann was not pleased with the decision. I believe he made noises about it being a terrible idea and that the first chance you had you would turn on us like the dog you were.” He saw temper stiffen her shoulders as he relayed the message. It pleased him to see she was returning to her normal self with that fiery look in her eyes.

“That frog-faced bastard!! He says that _I’ll_ turn on you? That son of a bitch wouldn’t know loyalty if it jumped up and bit him on his amphibian ass!” Cerise snarled as temper fueled her words. It burned bright and hot in her gut. Evfra chuckled as he saw the fury in her eyes.

“He may have been persuaded to keep his opinions to himself. The Moshae was _not_ happy to hear of how you were exiled. Neither was your brother. In the end, the other Nexus leaders pointed out that if the Resistance worked with you there would be no connection to them. As the turian from security put it: The mercenary company wouldn’t step on Nexus toes, so back off Tann.” Cerise snorted as she folded her arms over her chest, her fists held tight against her side. Evfra stepped closer to Cerise, he noted the slight stiffening in her shoulders. “Cerise, would you be interested in an official alliance between the Resistance and the Serpents? You’ve more than earned the soldiers’ respect.” He took a breath before continuing. “And mine.” Her eyes lifted to meet his and he saw the uncertainty there.

“I don’t know Evfra. I’d have to discuss this with the guys. I don’t unilaterally decide things for them.” Cerise told him. “But…” He heard the shaky exhale of breath. “I’ll think about it. I will seriously consider it Evfra.”

“It would require coming to Aya to sign a formal agreement. What is that face for?” Evfra saw her nose scrunched up and the wariness in her eyes. She knew that an invitation to Aya was as close to an olive branch as she would get, and Cerise was smart enough to recognize it would get her on _his_ turf. A part of her longed to fix what was between them, but she needed some sort of certainty. Cerise didn’t want to get tossed aside again. She remembered the previous invitation and marveled at the difference now. She could still hold to their original agreement but if the guys agreed to the alliance, she’d have no excuse.

“Fine. If we decide to enter into an official alliance with the Resistance, I’ll go to Aya to sign whatever documents.” Cerise was reluctant to agree. She didn’t know how her people would stand, but hopefully this would be good. They already had a peaceful arrangement with Reyes and his people, and a public alliance with the Resistance would go a long way towards earning the respect of the angara people. Evfra stepped forward and extended his arm. A half smile curled on her lips as she stepped up and completed the traditional angaran ‘handshake’. They still had one more wrinkle to iron out. The jolt of awareness shot through her system at the steady gaze, but she had to know one thing. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she debated how best to bring it up. She needed to know if the alliance was just for her company or would he want to give them another chance. Her heart screamed to go back that she _needed_ him like she needed to breathe. Her logical side and the crippling self-doubt demons hovered in the back of her mind and taunted her, _he’ll never choose you._ She ruthlessly shoved them aside as she struggled to form the words that needed to be said. “Evfra, about us.”

The door burst open and Colin rushed in. Cerise stumbled back at the wild look in his eyes. Evfra had stepped up in front of her, almost on instinct, shielding her from the intruder. He relaxed as he saw it was the Pathfinder. She’d never seen her brother look so panicked, not even when facing down Sloane and Reyes. Evfra huffed in irritation as he had asked for privacy. “Pathfinder Ryder.” He began but Colin cut him off as he grabbed Cerise’s upper arms in a vise like grip. She winced slightly at the bruising strength, _something_ had spooked Colin. Evfra stepped forward as he saw the wince on Cerise’s face but she stopped him with a shake of her head.

“Cerise. I just received word from the Nexus. Those _b-bastards._ ” Colin spat out in anguish. “Dr. Carlyle sent me the email. He did some d-digging after something off in some of the medical reports. Supplies were listed as being used, but he’d never authorized the use of them.” Colin knew he was babbling like an idiot but he had to explain it to Cerise. His sister looked at him as if he’d gone insane. He focused on the purple that bloomed across her face to anchor his wayward thoughts. “SAM did some research and he found a secret project. The files were heavily encrypted and he just now finished decrypting them.”

“Colin. Why does that have anything to do with _me?_ ” Cerise scoffed as her twin looked at her with a frenzied look in his eyes. Cerise was reminded of a cornered and rabid animal. Alarm skittered down her spine at the bone-chilling look in her brother’s face. He’d never looked like that before. Whatever that AI had found, it had shaken her brother to his very soul.

“Cerise. The p-project? They were working on ways to bring d-dead cells back to life.” Colin spoke slowly, his stutter coming back as he tried to make sense of his chaotic thoughts. He ruthlessly focused his thoughts to control his tongue. It worked for years and it would work now. Cerise put a hand on his shoulder and met Evfra’s eyes over Colin’s shoulder. “Cerise.” Colin paused and took a deep, fortifying breath.

“They were successful.” Cerise felt her stomach drop at the news. How could dead cells be brought back to life? That was impossible! Cloning was scientifically possible thanks to the advancement of technology, and there were prosthetics that could be given to a person if organic failed. But bringing the dead back to life? _Impossible_.

“What are you saying?” Cerise felt a prickle at the back of her neck. A tiny voice telling her to be careful what she asked, she may not like the answer. The sense of foreboding weighed heavily on her shoulders as Colin tightened his grip.

“They brought Dad back.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerise and Colin are both determined to find out what is going on with their Dad and this organization behind his revival. Cerise gets to travel on the Tempest as they make their way to the Nexus.

“What the fuck? What do you mean, they brought Dad back? Who did?” Cerise struggled to wrap her mind around what Colin was telling her. Confusion, dread, and a niggling sense of hope tangled together in her chest, pressing down like a lead weight. Alec Ryder was dead, he’d died on Habitat 7 when Colin’s helmet had shattered and he’d given his helmet to his son. That was what she was told, but now Colin was telling her someone brought him back. It made little sense as Cerise knelt in front of her brother as he tried to calm down and explain. Colin would get lost in his thoughts as she did, and a touch on his shoulder would usually bring him out of them. Her hand paused in mid-air as a voice broke through the shocked silence.

 _“I believe I can be of assistance Cerise Ryder.”_ The mechanical voice filled the room, startling everyone out of their own thoughts. The mercenary jerked as if burned, shooting to her feet and taking a step back from Colin as the voice came out of his omni-tool. Cerise had completely forgotten about the AI. Jaal dashed into the room after Colin and saw him on the floor.

“Colin…” His voice sounded mournful to Cerise’s ears as he saw the state his lover was in. The angaran man knelt behind Colin and guided him up to his feet. The Pathfinder leaned heavily on Jaal as SAM compiled the data he had analyzed. The warm glow spread in her chest as she saw the bond between the two. “Please SAM, explain to them.” He nodded to Cerise and Evfra.

 _“Yes. Dr. Harry Carlyle asked me to decrypt medical reports that were displaying inaccuracies. The encryption was far beyond what I expected for mundane supply lists and duty rosters.”_ SAM explained what he had discovered in those files. _“There was a Lazarus Project and Cerberus mentioned. I only have information pertaining to Cerberus in my databanks, the Lazarus Project was not included.”_ Cerise held up a hand to her forehead as something tugged at the back of her mind. That name, _Cerberus_ , was familiar to her. She almost jumped when she felt a hand brush against her lower back. Her head turned to see Evfra standing beside her, concern in his cerulean eyes. Hope fluttered in her chest but that had to be dealt with later. She grasped her chin as she tried to remember what she’d heard about the organization.

“Ryder?” Both twins snapped their heads towards Evfra and he realized his error. “Cerise. Do you know about this Cerberus?” Cerise rubbed the back of her neck and looked aside, avoiding eye contact.

“It was just rumors I heard back on some of the dig sites I was stationed on. I heard one experiment involved injecting people, _humans_ , with Thresher Maw venom. Remember the Akuze disaster Colin?” Colin nodded as he remembered the reports. He and Cerise hadn’t been older than fifteen, the exact age escaped him, when it happened, his memory wasn’t too accurate. There had only been one survivor, an Alliance soldier named Shepard. “Well, rumors abounded that Cerberus was behind the thresher maws that attacked that squad. I mean, I have _nothing,_ concrete. Just speculation by bored Marines stationed at a dig site.” Colin felt his stomach turn at the image her words presented. “Doesn’t sound like the same group if this Lazarus Project is about bringing dead people back to life. I also don’t see why a pro-human group would be involved with something like the Andromeda Initiative which is about cross-species unification and exploration.”

“Sounds so much like Shelley…” Colin murmured as Cerise snorted in amusement. Jaal and Evfra stared at the two humans with confusion marring their faces. They figured it must be a translation error, Jaal would ask Colin about who this Shelley was later. “SAM, what else did you find?” Colin was steadier now that Jaal was next to him. He drew from the man’s quiet strength and took a deep breath to hear the rest.

 _“Yes Pathfinder. The Lazarus Project was specifically designed to bring dead cells back to life. At the time of the files origin, they had not considered a viable person to attempt it on. Then Alec Ryder’s untimely death occurred.”_ SAM paused as Colin shuddered at the mention of his father’s death. Cerise drew her arms in tighter and turned her head at the reminder of Alec’s death. Jaal tightened his hold on Colin’s shoulders, drawing him closer and he brushed his lips over the Pathfinder’s temple. Evfra pressed his hand against Cerise’s back, he felt the tension rolling off of her in waves. _“According to the data, I was able to piece together the project’s goal. The files included progression and what supplies were used during the experiment. Primarily the first three months after Alec Ryder’s death were used to clone the necessary organs needed for resuscitation.”_ SAM listed all the organs that had been cloned in an effort to bring back Alec Ryder. _“The final report that I discovered was tagged only two weeks ago. It stated the project was a success and Alec Ryder’s body had been completely repaired. The damage done via Habitat 7’s atmosphere is clear and the reports stated he is ready to be revived. I am unclear about how that is to be achieved.”_

“Well, fuck.” Cerise ran a hand through her hair in agitation as she let the implication of this whole thing hit. She looked at her twin and saw the bleak, haunted look in his eyes. Her heart ached for her brother, he’d been the one to see Alec die. She could only imagine the survivor’s guilt he was going through, and she hoped Jaal was able to be there for her brother. The picture the two made warmed her heart as she saw that Jaal understood her brother in a way that no one in the Milky Way did.

“We have to go to the Nexus. SAM got the location of this secret lab.” Colin looked up at his sister with a meaningful look. Silver eyes narrowed in suspicion and he nodded at the unspoken question in her eyes. Panic set in as Cerise realized what he meant. Her head shook helplessly against the rising tide of alarm in her body. Evfra looked down at Cerise in alarm as her body went rigid under his hand.

“No. No, no, no, no. I am not stepping foot on the Nexus. I’m an _exile_.” Cerise pointed to her chest as she spat the word out. “Tann would have an apoplectic fit.” She paused as she imagined it, the part of her that had adapted to Kadara thoroughly enjoyed the image. “Okay. That would be worth it, but no. I am not allowed on the Nexus.” Cerise crossed her arms under her chest and glared at her brother.

Evfra stepped up and moved his hand to her shoulder, ignoring the sting when her body stiffened in surprise. He knew she had a lot to process at once. Cerise Ryder was not the personification of healthy coping habits. There was a way around Tann’s little rule about exiles as she and her crew worked with the Resistance and many of his soldiers considered them honorary members.

“If you went as a member of the Resistance, Tann would hardly be in a position to argue.” Colin broke out into a grin as he realized how much this would piss Tann off. Cerise groaned and dropped her head into her hand. She didn’t have an argument against that. “The Moshae and I would be more than willing to put forth the paperwork.” She heard the earnest note in his voice and she ached to take him up on his offer. Cerise shook her head and her shoulders drooped when she heaved a sigh.

“Fine. How am I going to get there?” Elation bubbled inside Colin as he realized Cerise had agreed to go to the Nexus. Despite having no good memories of her time on the space station, she was willing to go back. Colin had nothing but reports and stories from Kandros and Kesh to go on when it came to those dark times.

“You can travel in the Tempest with me and my crew.” Colin saw her nose wrinkle and the answer forming on her tongue. He decided to launch a pre-emptive strike against his sister. “Please? It’ll be quicker to use the Tempest.” Colin explained and pleaded with his sister. He used the tone that was usually reserved when he’d wanted to get her dessert when they were children. She was just as hard pressed to say no now as she was back then.

“Fine. I don’t know how your crew will feel about having an exiled mercenary in their ranks but fine. I’ll go.” Cerise sighed and knew she would regret this. “Let me get some things squared away here.” Colin nodded.

“We’ll be waiting at the port for you.” Jaal said his good byes to Cerise and Evfra before leading Colin away. Cerise’s stomach dropped as the dark clouds pressed in her mind again. Something didn’t add up for this but she knew she couldn’t leave it alone either. Her first instinct was to listen to that tiny voice warning her about it being a trap, but there was just too much in the dark for her to really ignore it. All she could be was prepared when the door slammed. She’d be damned if she’d leave it to her brother alone either. If you mess with one Ryder then you mess with them all. Her eyes turned up to Evfra who stared at her with concern in his eyes.

“Cerise.” Evfra began and stepped closer. “This is a complicated situation. We can wait until after it’s dealt with before we discuss what is between us.” Cerise smiled at him gratefully, her eyes warming. She was thankful that Evfra understood this news about her Dad churned her up emotionally. There was only enough sanity in her to deal with one emotionally complicated situation at a time.

“Thank you. I can promise I will give you my time and attention once this is dealt with.” Cerise placed her hand on his forearm in a soft gesture. The simple touch conveyed what her words couldn’t. She was willing to bend, and hear him out. Cerise wanted to throw everything to the wind and launch herself back in his arms. Nerves got the best of her and the memory of that day she got the email flashed through her mind, stilling her movements. Their relationship began as a flashbang, and now she needed to see if it would fizzle out or if there was a lasting connection there. It had felt as if a part of her had been torn from her when she’d read those words from him. His lips parted as if to reply when the door slid open to reveal Anxo there.

“Cerise. You’re going to the Nexus?” Cerise blew out an irritated breath, her damn brother probably blabbed all about it. Her inner circle had already accepted him after seeing how Cerise treated him. Her blonde head bobbed as she gave him the affirmative answer.

“No choice. The Nexus has some dark shit brewing that I’d like to not spill over here.” Cerise told him as she stepped away from Evfra. He felt the loss keenly as her back stayed to him while addressing her salarian second in command. “Looks like my Dad is involved somehow. I just can’t leave that lying there Anxo.” The pleading note in Cerise’s voice blew through any protests Anxo had on his tongue. He’d never heard her voice shake or have that edgy tone to it. His boss was shaken to her core, there was no way he or the others would argue with her. He shook his head and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“I understand Cerise. Take care of yourself. No one there will watch your back like we can.” Anxo saw the grin on her face and the mischievous spark in her silver eyes. That meant he wasn’t there to be her impulse control. The salarian threw back his head and laughed. “Don’t cause too much trouble Cerise.”

“Who me?” The innocent expression was too comical. All Cerise needed was the halo to present the perfect image of angelic innocence, but anyone who knew her would have laughed. Cerise Ryder was no angel, but she wasn’t quite the devil. Anxo remembered a phrase she’d used with him at one point. Cerise had told him it was the name of a song from the 20th century on Earth. She was on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell. Heaven wouldn’t take her and the devil didn’t want her.

“Behave Cerise.” Anxo clapped her back as he went to tell their crew that she was traveling to the Nexus. Evfra walked out with Anxo after throwing a pointed look her way and Cerise threw some gear into a duffel bag. The grey tank top caught her attention and the scarlet emblem quirked her lips into a smile. It was the perfect shirt to wear when meeting Tann and the other Nexus leadership for the first time in over a year. She stuffed it in the bag quickly before good sense could override her urge to piss off the Director.

“All set?” Anxo looked up and saw his boss suited up in armor and the duffel over her shoulder. The onyx scout armor gleamed in the fluorescent lights and the crimson serpent was sprawled across the front like freshly spilled blood. It was as big a statement as Cerise was willing to make when boarding the Tempest. The crew knew she wasn’t with them, but she needed to remind them that she had her own loyalties. It was also emotional armor, and the sight of the serpent gave her the strength she needed to get through this predicament with the Nexus.

“Good to go.” Evfra stepped forward as Anxo led them to the shuttle. He was going to be riding back with them since Colin abandoned him at the headquarters. Something to hold over the Pathfinder’s head at a later, less stressful, date. One that he _may_ have been looking forward to. The trip to the port was uneventful as the Outcasts were laying low. Kaetus was still locked up in the Collective headquarters, and no capable leader had shown themselves yet. Cerise and Anxo both knew the situation would have to be addressed but bigger problems had to be prioritized before the group could be dealt with.

“Now, _please_ don’t antagonize my sister.” Colin told his crew as Cerise and Evfra walked up behind them. Cora crossed her arms and gave Colin a speaking look. She and Cerise had never seen eye to eye, but Cora was hardly going to cause problems for Alec Ryder’s daughter. Vetra waved at Cerise and fluttered her mandibles at Colin’s questioning look. She would explain later that she was one of the few smugglers willing to get dextro supplies off the Nexus for the exiled turians. Jaal looked nervous at the first meeting with the entire crew of the Tempest. Tension crackled around the group.

Cerise’s lips turned up in a roguish smile as she approached the Tempest, the tension could be cut with a knife. The woman could hardly blame the crew for being nervous, her reputation did tend to precede her. Every single one of them took a step closer to Colin and her lips tugged into a smile at the show of loyalty. The feeling was overshadowed by a light, happy sensation at the fact her brother finally found a loyal group of friends to watch his back. Given she couldn’t be there for him. Drack stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder.

“You gonna cause trouble kid?” Drack looked down at her and felt his respect for her going up as she met his gaze without flinching. He’d heard stories about this tiny human and he attested them to rumors. But the fact they were spread around gave him a measure of respect for her. The fight on Elaaden and the ruthlessness she possessed earned her another rank in his estimation. Her eyes told him she’d taken on krogan before and knew Drack would wipe the floor with her, but she’d give him hell for it.

“Nothing you can’t handle old man. Still sore you missed the bar fight?” He grumbled about whelps before patting her shoulder and heading back to the ship. Cerise knew she was outnumbered and only Colin’s words kept the crew from putting her as a prisoner in the brig. Peebee snorted with amusement as she watched Drack head back onto the ship. The Pathfinder ushered her in with Evfra following alongside Jaal.

“Well, you’ll be in the crew quarters with the others.” Colin explained at Cerise’s raised eyebrow. “Come on Cerise. Don’t argue this time please.” Cerise snorted and set her duffel on one of the unoccupied beds without a word. She’d have preferred having some privacy after getting used to it since establishing the mercenary headquarters. She felt the collective breath of relief behind her and counted to ten in her head. Patience was not her defining personality trait, but she needed it for this situation. It helped that she put it into perspective. Her company would hardly trust Colin any more than his crew trusted her, aside from her inner circle.

“I’m not here to cause trouble Colin. Lighten up. I _can_ behave myself you know.” Cerise told him as she nudged his arm with her elbow. His lips turned up into an amused smile as he rubbed the spot she elbowed. The similarity between them was striking when they stood side by side with each other. Both had the same lines that formed when they smiled. “So, what are the golden rules of this ship?” Her brother glanced at her in surprise. “What? Even I know there are some rules on ships that aren’t to be broken. I _did_ serve in the Alliance, same as you.” His face twisted in a grimace and she playfully nudged him again.

“I’m just worried with this whole situation.” Colin rubbed the back of his neck as the familiar anxiety bubbled up within him. It always made him feel light headed. “Don’t mess with the ship’s design. Kallo will have your head.” That earned him a snort from his sister. “Don’t play poker with Gil unless you want to lose all your credits.” Cerise lifted an eyebrow as Peebee whole heartedly agreed from her spot in the galley. That sounded like a challenge, one she would be happy to accept when Colin left her alone in the cargo bay. “Get in the showers before Liam or Jaal. They tend to take all the hot water.”

“And leave the rest of us with ice for bathing in.” Cora piped up from her spot by the terminal. “And Liam I swear you _are_ reprogramming the message board VI if it starts censoring all language.” The crisis specialist shrugged and headed towards his little area of the ship. He still didn’t entirely trust Cerise, she was a mercenary.

“You have the freedom to roam in the ship all you like Cerise. You’re not a prisoner and I trust that you’re not here to blow us out of the sky.” Cerise struggled to hold in her chuckle and nodded as solemnly as she could.

“Pfft. As if. I’m on the ship too.” Cerise snorted as if that explained everything. To Colin it did, he knew she’d survived in Andromeda without the Initiative. His twin had always been a survivor, and he was glad to see that hadn’t changed. The only thing that changed was how far she was willing to go to survive.

“You can use the galley.” Colin began but Cerise cut him off. She jerked her thumb towards the duffel bag.

“I brought my own. I’m not taking up your food Colin. It might give Tann a reason to detain my ass when we’re on the Nexus.” He protested but she had a point. Tann was a dickhead like that, especially when it came to exiles. SAM pinged him omni-tool to let him know about new emails and he left Cerise to her own devices. The mercenary peeked her head out of the crew quarters and saw the galley directly in front of her and what looked like the med bay to her right. She set out to explore and encountered the cargo bay, her fingers itched to get onto the Nomad. Instead she found herself exploring to acquaint herself with the ship itself and found herself appreciating its sleek design. She wanted to go and stay with Evfra but there was too much left unspoken between the two of them. Some space would be good to help settle the snarl of emotions twisting in her belly.

Colin ended his vid-call with Tann and rubbed the back of his neck as tension built there. Tann was not happy he was bringing his exile sister to the Nexus, but as she was a guest of the Resistance he wasn’t able to say no. The relationship between the Initiative and the angara was still fragile. The Director knew that to refuse a request from the Moshae and Evfra combined would be akin to taking a torch to kindling. Tann had agreed to allow her on board, but Kandros and his security team had to vet her and make sure she wasn’t carrying any weapons. Colin agreed to the terms and blew out a breath. The cargo hold was noisy as he entered the area. Drack leaned against the railing and he was chuckling.

“Hey kid. Your sister is whipping the pants off Gil at poker, almost literally now. That little pyjack is getting a taste of his own medicine now.” Colin dashed to the railing and saw the poker game set up down below. He’d _warned_ her not to play poker with Gil!

“You’re killing me here Ryder!” Gil moaned in defeat as Cerise laid down the cards in front of him, the royal flush mocking Gil as they spread across the small table. She flashed him a wolfish grin as she collected her winnings. Even Vetra was impressed and turned as Colin jumped down. He strode up to Cerise and crossed his arms. She leaned back and adopted an innocent demeanor.

“What? Your rule was not to play poker with Gil if I didn’t feel like losing all my credits. You didn’t say anything about playing him if I could beat him.”

“Cerise… I see your ability to manipulate words hasn’t changed.” There was amusement threaded through his tone that told her and the crew he wasn’t angry. “But damn… I had to use SAM to even come close to beating Gil.” Cerise laughed at the pout on Colin’s face.

Cerise stood to stretch her back. The shirt lifted to reveal a strip of pale skin and mangled skin that had scarred over. Vetra saw it and her mandibles pulled in tight as she saw the angry red scar. The others had seen the scars dotting her arms and the one on her shoulder that looked as if a bullet had gone through it. There was a story behind each of those scars, Vetra would bet her ugly ass asari lamp on it.

“Well, you did break my winning streak. No one else on this ship has been able to.” Gil extended his hand and Cerise shook it. She was pleased that at least Gil had accepted her readily. “We weren’t playing for credits anyway.”

“Wait. What?” Colin looked down at Cerise who shrugged.

“I never gamble for real Colin. It was just for fun. These are just in place to mark bets. Besides, I want to know how you guys got so much candy.” Cerise popped one of the delicious but tart hard candies in her mouth. The fruity flavor exploded over her tongue and she shuddered at the bite the candy had. Drack announced that dinner was ready as his omni-tool pinged and the crew made their way to the galley. Evfra gave Cerise the space she needed and stayed in the tech lab since Jaal had moved out into Colin’s quarters. They were among strangers and he did not appreciate the thought of broadcasting their relationship with people he barely knew. He knew the Pathfinder more than he did his crew, and both he and Cerise appreciated privacy. The rest of their trip passed easily with little trouble, until they docked on the Nexus.

“Do you _have_ to wear that?” Colin groaned as he saw the tank top. The dark grey material was soft against Cerise’s body and the ruby red serpent coiled itself around the apple stood out in contrast. It was a stark reminder that she was no longer Nexus and was guaranteed to piss off Tann. She grinned at him and assured him that it was the only clean thing she owned. “How can you lie so easily?” She gave him a look that told him _who me?_ Before she followed him out of the ship.

“So, the head of security is going to scan me for weapons?” Cerise asked Colin as they headed out of the docking bay. He nodded and watched as she snorted. The thought crossed her mind that the Nexus had a new security chief and she wasn’t sure who it was. “Where exactly am I going to hide them? My vagina?” Her brother flushed bright red and she felt the laughter threatening to break free. It took every ounce of discipline she had to keep it inside. She’d forgotten how easy he was to fluster. Her crew wouldn’t have given it another thought and would have chipped in with something just as raunchy. It was taking an active effort on her part to remember that Colin wasn’t like her team. She saw the pale turian with blue facial markings at the end of the docking bay tube. The other crew members walked past him and Cerise stopped as she reached him. _This must be the Nexus security head. Wait…_ The grin broke on her face as recognition flashed through her.

“Wait… Kandros? How did you get put in charge of security?” Kandros laughed at her tone. Evfra watched the interaction as Jaal stood beside him. A feeling he wasn’t too keen on describing as jealousy snapped his spine straight. Jaal turned to look at him questioning his sudden tension as Evfra watched the interaction between the two. The turian’s posture relaxed slightly as Cerise laughed. The two obviously knew each other.

“You know Kandros?” Colin looked down at his sister. She flicked her eyes at him before turning back to Kandros and nodded.

“Of course. I know most of the security team. I did stay on the Nexus until after the revolts happened. Whoever is left from the original teams are probably people I know.” Colin nodded at the explanation. Kandros nodded to confirm her story.

“You know this is from Tann. We have to scan you for weapons.” Kandros explained with a regretful tone. Cerise shrugged and lifted her arms. Kandros’ blue eyes took in the design of her shirt and he let out a dry laugh. “You’re just begging for Tann to yell at you aren’t you?” Cerise hoped that the design mocked the hell out of Tann. He’d sent her away to die but she’d prospered. He saw the grin on her face and shook his head. The scan showed nothing on her person and they were let through.

“Okay SAM. Give us the coordinates.” Colin said after they left earshot. Jaal and Evfra would stay at the cultural center while the twins went on a scavenger hunt around the Nexus. Cerise just hoped this wasn’t a wild goose chase. The AI transferred the navpoint and off they went.

“Why can’t villains ever be in easy to access locations?” The whine in Cerise’s voice amused Colin. They’d had to wind their way through the living quarters of where the dignitaries would live when woken. A secret panel was revealed after one pass of Colin’s omni-tool, opening to a narrow corridor. It was a tight fit, with the sides brushing Cerise’s shoulders. Colin had to turn sideways to maneuver through the twisty passageway. They dead ended at the door that was being scanned by the AI. They stared at the door which was coded to a specific DNA sequence.

“This isn’t good SAM. It’s keyed to DNA, somehow, I doubt that ours would match. So, how do we get around it?” Colin grasped his chin as he thought about ways around their predicament.

“Can I climb through the vents to get to the other side SAM?” Understanding dawned as Colin got what Cerise was trying to say. She was small enough to fit through the vents, especially given she didn’t have armor to hinder herself.

“ _A moment._ ” There was silence while SAM scanned the area to determine the layout of the secret room. “ _Affirmative. The vent duct will lead to the location you need to access in order to open the door. I should warn you that there are two armed guards posted on the other side of the door._ ” Cerise grasped her chin as she thought about the situation and Colin waited. There was an inherent danger here for his sister. Dread churned his stomach, threatening to cast up his lunch. That was a line that Colin wasn’t willing to cross. He’d never ask his sister to face danger by herself, this had to be _her_ choice.

“Fine. Can you send me the schematics? I don’t want to wind up falling down a vent because I don’t know where the hell I’m going.” Cerise flashed her brother a reassuring grin as SAM sent her the layout. Colin helped her pry off the vent duct and lifted her up. Cerise thanked her lucky stars that she wore her boots instead of sneakers like Colin had wanted her to. She scrambled up into the vent and Colin had to wait the agonizing minutes for his sister to get to the other side. Her feet disappeared and off she went into the unknown.

“SAM. Can you send our coordinates to Evfra and Jaal? In case something happens, I need someone knowing how to reach us.” _Of course Pathfinder. It is done._ SAM’s voice in his head always gave Colin a jolt, but this time it relieved the tension. He heard cursing from the other side and two shots before silence descended. “Cerise?” He whispered against the metal, though he knew it was fruitless. Sound rarely passed through the reinforced metal doors. The Pathfinder stumbled back as the doors slid open. His twin stood there with a Talon pistol in her hand. Colin whistled as he saw the two guards on the floor at her feet.

“I know, right? They outfit their guards well. Here.” Cerise tossed him the pistol from the other guard. It was a modded Sidewinder. “Whoever is behind this certainly knows how to arm their guards. They have some of the best gear I’ve seen yet in Andromeda. Which usually means that whatever they’re guarding is high end.” Cerise squatted next to one of the bodies and grabbed something out of his pocket.

“What is that?” Cerise held up the plastic rectangle and Colin realized it was an ID card. Relief swept through him again as they now had a way to get further into the room.

 _Pathfinder, it appears there is a scrambler in your location. I am unable to scan the room._ Colin clenched his jaw as anger boiled inside. Complications upon complications all seemed to pile on Colin’s shoulders whenever it was something important. Sometimes he wondered if bad luck wasn’t genetic, he knew Cerise had her fair share of shitty situations too. Cerise straightened and they continued into the hallway. The twins were careful to avoid being detected by guards and Cerise helped SAM create a feedback loop for the security cameras.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so patient with me. I was somewhat in the path of Irma and my internet got knocked out for almost a week. The next chapter is halfway written and should be up within the next week! So less waiting this time!!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The infamous Alec Ryder makes an appearance and dredges up pain that Cerise thought she'd long ago buried.

“All right. Let’s find out where Dad is.” Cerise straightened and stood next to Colin as he spoke. They’d tucked the pistols at their sides to survey the layout of the room, almost in unison. Going in blind was never Cerise’s favorite way to commence a mission, but she’d done without a fancy AI for over a year. They could handle this situation. The two of them had already settled into an easy rhythm.

“I’m going to bet it’ll be in a room that...” She paused as she looked at the ID card. “Philip Cranston can’t get into.” Colin agreed with her statement. The area, which appeared to resemble a laboratory, had three small rooms, which appeared to be holding cells, on each side of the dimly lit corridor. There were six in total. Colin shuddered to think about what would be in those rooms, but they had to find Alec Ryder first. He could send in the militia to investigate later once he and Cerise had gotten in and out.

“Hey. Look at this.” Cerise lifted her omni-tool to scan one of the plaques by the doors. “Genetic modification?” Their eyes met as dread slid down her spine, leaving an icy trail in its wake. “And this one is organic and synthetic assimilation?” Each door had something similar and a nagging tug at her brain made Cerise extra paranoid. Something was off. There were no other guards in the laboratory. It appeared abandoned and her hand was never far from the Talon at her hip. The twins came to the last door on the hallway and Cerise scanned the plaque.

“I think we found it. Lazarus is all the sign says.” Cerise murmured as Colin touched the panel on the side of the door. Both twins jumped back as the door’s lock clicked green and slid open with a quiet hiss. They’d both expected to hack the door, not have it respond to their biometrics! Cerise darted to the side of the door with the Talon in her grip while Colin knelt on the other side with blue biotic light crackling around his fist. After a few seconds, the door slid shut once again, and silence greeted them. “Try that again. I’ll peek inside and you get ready to throw up a barrier.” Colin nodded at his sister’s whispered order and put his hand against the panel again. The mercenary glanced into the room and saw it empty except for a white sheet covering what appeared to be a male figure on a lone operating table. Her silver eyes darted around the room, nervous energy tightened her muscles in preparation for an ambush.

“All clear.” Cerise breathed out and stood with the pistol still in her grip. Colin followed in behind her as they entered the room. The door snapped shut behind them, the lock turning red. “Fuck.” Ambush was all she could think about as the lock clicked. Cerise snarled as she pressed her back against the wall with Colin mirroring her movements to her left.

“Cerise and Colin Ryder. The infamous Ryder twins. I can’t tell you how honored I am that you found me.” The accented voice spoke to them over the speakers. Cerise couldn’t place the accent but it sounded European. “I’d forgotten just how well that AI of yours evolved. Got cocky I suppose.” The flippant tone of the mysterious speaker curled Cerise’s lip in an outraged snarl. “ _C’est la vie._ You are probably here because of the Lazarus Project. No doubt your AI cracked that lovely encryption program I had for the reports and followed the crumbs like a good little bird. I am happy to say it is almost a complete success. You see, the subject needs to have something familiar to it be there to wake up. Without that, permanent damage can happen. I worked too hard and spent too many resources bringing this project to fruition.” The anger gave his voice a razor edge. Cerise had the impression that this man would be willing to kill without hesitation.

“Who the fuck are you?” Cerise snarled as she swung her head towards the intercom. She could hear the _tsk, tsk, tsk_ over the speaker and it grated her nerves like nails on a chalkboard, that patronizing tone set her teeth on edge.

“Such language is unbecoming of a young lady such as yourself. What will your father think when he wakes up?” That earned him a derisive snort from the mercenary.

“Cut the shit you steaming pile of-“ Cerise was cut off mid rant by the body on the table jerking. The Talon came up, its sights set on the fabric rustling. Indigo energy sparked on Colin’s fist as he whirled at the same time. The twins faced down the unknown together.

“It appears as if your voice has roused him from his sleep. I’m already off the ship dearies. There is no need to look for me. Ta.” The line went dead and Colin jerked his head to the side.

“SAM!” _I am already tracking all outgoing shuttles Pathfinder. It is rather difficult to track one specific person but I have his vocal imprint in my memory banks now._ Colin knew it wasn’t enough but it was something to give them a start.

“Now get ready to greet Daddy Dearest back from the dead!” The intercom shut off amidst cackling laughter. The bang reverberated throughout the room as the smell of eezo permeated the air. Cerise lowered the pistol in her hand as Colin lowered his fist to his side. Neither twin had a high tolerance for assholes.

“I hate that arrogant son of a bitch.” Cerise grumbled as she and Colin faced the table. Nerves fluttered in her stomach, that really couldn’t be her Dad there could it? Even if it had her Dad’s face, how could they be sure it was the real Alec Ryder? A complicated tangle of emotions welled up inside her. Alec Ryder had, however unintentionally, set her down the path she had walked. By sending her to the Nexus instead of the Hyperion, she’d been exiled and met her crew. Met Evfra. Her heart constricted at the thought and she had to force down the emotions to deal with the situation as calmly as possible. Cerise eased over to the sheet, knowing Colin was ready with a throw in case shit went to hell. Her hand fisted in the soft fabric and yanked. The blanket slid off the body easily and fluttered to the floor.

“Cerise…” Colin stared down at the table and Cerise felt her nerves coil together in her belly. It weighed her limbs down with dread as she looked at the figure lying in front of her. It was Alec Ryder as he was before they left for Andromeda. The greying hair that had once been the same shade as their, eyes that would no doubt be the same grey, and his scars. The hair was even the same length as it was before. They’d kept his scars of all things. The twins stood ready for anything, but the body remained motionless. It was eerie to stand in the room that contained their Dad’s corpse, and had the back of Cerise’s neck tingling.

“Try calling out to it again.” Colin suggested and shrugged as his sister sent him a withering look. It clearly asked him why was he picking her for this. He shrugged, her voice had worked before.

“Fine. Dad? Dad, wake up.” The humiliation warred with nerves at talking to a corpse as if it were still alive. She took a deep breath and decided to go all in. It wasn’t as if there was anyone else there to witness her mortification. There was only one way her Dad would respond to something and that was to deliver it like an order. “On your feet soldier!” Her voice rang out in the room, firm and commanding. Cerise shrieked as the eyes flew open, the same silver color as hers and Colin’s, and trained on her. The Talon pointed at his face as the man who looked like Alec Ryder sat up slowly. His eyes didn’t leave the twins and flicked over the pistol and the biotics on display.

“Cerise? Colin? What?” He grabbed his head as his vision swam. His mind whirled as he tried to fight through the unknown and had a memory tug at the back of his thoughts. He had died, the memory of what happened in Habitat 7 rushed through him at once. It was staggering to realize that he was sitting up. How was he talking to his children? Were they all dead? He needed answers and it seemed the twins were the ones with them. He clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm to anchor his racing thoughts, and turned to face the twins. Questions first and then he’d figure out what the hell had happened. Fog slowly cleared from his mind as he realized he was staring at his children. “What happened?” The authoritative tone had Colin snapping to attention while Cerise’s face set into a mulish expression.

Cerise and Colin froze in surprise as Alec slid off the table. The Talon pistol never wavered as it pointed at him. Cerise couldn’t trust that it was really Alec Ryder. Colin kept his biotics at the ready, though he knew that this would anger the man in front of him more. They had to know if this was the real Alec Ryder.

“SAM, can you see if this is really my dad?” _“I’m sorry Pathfinder. It appears that the SAM implant in Alec Ryder was removed. I cannot access anything other than the biometric and DNA databanks of the Initiative. I can verify that the man in front of you has the same biometrics as Alec Ryder.”_ Cerise growled in frustration. That told them little. A clone would have the same biometrics and DNA as Alec Ryder. She just hoped she knew what she was doing, but there was only one memory she knew would prove that it was really Alec Ryder. A clone could be fed public information, but this was private and only her immediate family knew about it.

“All right. If you’re really Alec Ryder, answer this question for me.” Alec swung his head to stare at his daughter. Confusion clouded his mind. They were suspicious of him? A throbbing pain began at the base of his skull, something didn’t add up. “How did I break my arm as a child?” He saw Colin’s head snap around to look at his sister. Alec fought hard through the clouds in his mind to remember. He knew that the real memory was something different than what was told to people.

“It was when Colin’s biotics manifested. I don’t remember what you two had been arguing about, but he threw you across the room. We told people you’d fallen out of a tree.” He saw the pistol begin to shake as she lowered it. Colin stood frozen beside his sister with the color drained from his face. They looked as if they’d seen a ghost. “What happened?”

“It will probably be better to tell you once we get out of this lab.” Colin murmured as he told SAM to let Kandros know. “The Nexus security needs to know about this place.” _Affirmative Pathfinder._ SAM’s voice rolled through his mind and the trio made their way back to the docking bay. The journey was tedious but silent as Alec tried to absorb that time had passed since Habitat 7. His daughter seemed more surly than normal and his son was casting nervous glances at his sister. There was something else at play here, and neither of them were telling him. The bright artificial light of the docking bay temporarily blinded them all as they left the corridor. Alec looked around at the docking bay in wonder. Then his eyes saw a very _pink_ alien creature hurrying in their direction. Worry was etched into its face but Alec stiffened in surprise and wariness.

“What is that?” Alec hissed at Cerise as Colin stepped forward to greet the other alien warmly. The two shared a warm embrace and Alec felt his heart clutch at the sight.

“That is an angara. They’re the native alien race to this cluster. I don’t know if they’re all over Andromeda though. That one is named Jaal ama Darav and he and Colin…” Cerise trailed off as Jaal put his lips against Colin’s in a comforting embrace.

“I see that. He’s very… _Pink._ Are they all pink?” Cerise told him that they had a variety of skin tones. Alec paused thoughtfully as he saw the look on his son’s face. He’d never seen that softening of his features before or that sparkle in his eyes. Colin had always been a reserved child, and would close off at the faintest hint of conflict. Jaal’s head lifted and looked over at Alec and Cerise. Alec stared down at what he was wearing. It was his N7 armor that he’d had on during Habitat 7, with the same dents and scratches from before. It felt off, he couldn’t put his finger on what felt wrong but something did. Alec Ryder didn’t survive as long as he did without listening to his instincts. His stomach clenched as a memory rolled through his mind of his final moments. The choking, his throat tightening, and the burning deep in his chest as the toxic air of Habitat 7 destroyed his lung tissue and he drowned in his own blood.

“Dad?” The gentle touch on his arm snapped him out of the memory. He looked over into his daughter’s eyes, concern flickering in their depths. Alec was shocked, he didn’t think Cerise was capable of such a soft touch. The two of them were always at odds with one another. Her head turned as a flurry of activity descended upon them in the docking bay.

“I want that one in cuffs Kandros. We can’t take too many chances. And she’s armed!” That grating voice reached her ears and Cerise cast her eyes towards the ceiling in a bid for patience. Tann waved his hand in Cerise’s direction as she glowered at the salarian.

“So nice to see you too Tann. You’ve clearly discovered my dastardly plan to overthrow your regime with a single Talon pistol. However, did you figure it out?” The icy sarcasm bit into Tann’s skin and his eyes narrowed at the mercenary. He was so focused on her that he barely heard Addison’s gasp of surprise.

“Alec? Alec Ryder? It can’t be. They said you were dead.” Foster’s eyes bounced between Cerise and Alec. The younger Ryder crossed her arms defensively over her chest after handing over the Talon to Kandros. Colin was explaining the situation to the head of Nexus Security and the turian shook his head. She met Alec’s eyes as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Wait, this is Alec Ryder?” Tann froze as he took in Alec’s appearance. He looked just as he did in the recruiting posters for the Initiative. Tann had only met the man in person once and it was only for a brief moment. He possessed the same eyes as the twins, but if one were to place which twin looked most like him it would be Cerise. That same hard edge lurked in his eyes.

“We can explain. SAM?” Colin interrupted the tense moment.

 _“Affirmative Pathfinder. I am sending the appropriate files to your omni-tool Director Tann, Colonial Affairs Director Addison.”_ Kandros and Kesh had received theirs as well. Addison’s eyes scanned the files and her hand pressed to her throat.

“Cerberus? Bringing back people from the dead? This is like something out of a fiction novel.” Alec nodded in agreement. He couldn’t imagine why he had been chosen, out of all the people that had likely died since arriving in Andromeda.

_“I was unable to pinpoint the shuttle the man was on Pathfinder Ryder. I doubt he’d choose an Initiative held planet to stay on, now that I am aware of his movements.”_

“That leaves…” Colin winced as he glanced over at Cerise whose lips were already curling into a dark smile. Alec looked stunned to see such a sinister look on her face and his son was already attempting to negotiate with his sister.

“Kadara.” Addison glanced at the Ryder twins as Kandros spoke over Colin’s whispered protests. “But it does present a problem.” A shiver went down her spine as she saw the merciless look in those silver eyes, and she had little doubt the female Ryder twin was capable of killing anyone. Addison wondered what had happened to her since her exile to make her so hard. Foster wasn’t as close to the twins as she was to Alec, but she remembered the girl being prickly but not hard like this.

“Don’t kill him. We do need to interrogate him.” Colin reminded her as Kandros nodded. Cerise grumbled but reluctantly agreed, she claimed it was only because he and Colin had asked.

“Fine. I won’t give the order to shoot on sight. I’ll also inform our, ah, mutual acquaintance that we need this man alive if he finds his way to Kadara. If he lands in Outcast territory it is out of my hands. They’ll chew him up and spit him out.” Cerise flicked her wrist dismissively as Colin breathed a sigh of relief. He could admit to himself that he wasn’t particularly looking forward to getting in touch with Reyes again. The sting of betrayal was still sharp and it made speaking with the Charlatan difficult. His sister didn’t seem to share his difficulty in communicating with the man, and he was glad to leave the burden to her.

“Thank you Cerise.” Colin clapped a hand on her shoulder as she attempted to shrug it off. Cerise heard her name and she turned to see the source. Colin’s throat constricted at the sight of the jagged scar tissue on her back. The long diagonal slash and several smaller burn scars along the skin made his heart twist. The sting of hurt jabbed at his heart as he realized she’d never told him about the scar or how she got it. It was menacing to look at, to know she’d gone through so much pain. Colin had to remind himself that she would tell him when she was ready, pushing her just made Cerise dig in her heels. There were other pressing matters, such as Alec Ryder standing there in the flesh. Colin looked up as Evfra stalked towards them with fury evident in his shoulders and gait. The Pathfinder was not hesitant to slide in behind Jaal, he hoped that it wasn’t _him_ that Evfra was furious at.

Alec looked up to see the other angaran man, at least he assumed it was a man, headed straight for his daughter with murder in his eyes. He stepped forward but jolted when the angaran man stopped in front of Tann. “You _dare_ to insult a guest of the Resistance in that way?” Tann paused a moment to gather his thoughts about what Evfra was furious about. “Restraining Ryder is not an option. Should you try to you will regret it.” His voice was low and the snarl sent a shiver down Tann’s spine. His eyes darted to Cerise whose eyes lit in amusement at seeing Tann being taken down a peg.

“It was a hasty decision. One, as you see, that was not followed.” Tann threw a quick glare at Kandros who merely shrugged. He, at least, knew how pissed off their angaran guests would be. Not to mention the Pathfinder. “As long as she does not cause harm then she may stay aboard the Nexus in the docking bay.” Tann watched as the anger died down in Evfra’s eyes, but the mistrust was still there.

“Relax Evfra. I’m used to it. I’m an _exile_ remember?” Cerise grinned and they all froze as they heard the sharp inhalation behind them. Tann turned to see Alec Ryder staring at them all, and Cerise’s brows drew together in confusion. Then it dawned on her. Her dad wouldn’t know she’d been exiled. For all he knew, she was still a member of the Nexus security team. Hell, he wouldn’t even know about the revolt. Things were about to get interesting, but the mercenary didn’t know how things would go. Would her dad understand what Tann did? Commend him for it? Or would he condemn the actions?

“What do you mean by calling yourself an exile?” Alec stepped up to Cerise and her spine stiffened at the tone. “You need to learn to get along with others Cerise. Your lone wolf attitude won’t serve you here.” Anger snapped in her eyes and Alec started in surprise. Cerise opened her mouth to say something when a voice cut in.

“ _If I may Alec?_ ” “Go ahead SAM.” “ _Thank you. After landing in Andromeda there were members of the Initiative who were unsettled by the news the golden worlds were inhabitable. They chose to rise up for answers and security answered in kind.” “A revolt?” “Yes. The revolt was quieted and the members exiled from the Nexus to survive on their own._ ” “You were a part of the revolt?!” Alec swung his eyes around to pin his daughter with a look. A look he often wore when she was a teenager and had been caught after curfew. Of course he’d draw the conclusion that she’d participated in the revolt. He had little faith in her after all. Granted, she’d been a rebellious youth but time had tempered her attitude.

“No. I wasn’t a part of the revolt.” Confusion shadowed Alec’s face and SAM continued on.

“ _The krogan were also exiled from the Nexus after William Spender made sure the deal he had made was never seen by the Director._ ” Tann shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Spender. “ _Cerise Ryder spoke out against Tann’s treatment of the krogan. From reports of that time several prominent diplomats began to speak up and against Director Tann’s decisions. His judgment was called into question._ ” Tann spluttered in disbelief.

“That is _not_ what happened!” Cerise pinned him with a look.

“Then do explain it Director. Explain to everyone how I was branded an exile sympathizer when I put bullets into my _friends_ for you!” She snarled at him and it felt good to finally get it off her chest. She’d never had a chance to rail against Tann for the exile, she hadn’t been given a trial. Tann had been the judge, jury, and executioner. She’d been so busy trying to get off the Nexus before Tann changed his mind and had her executed, she never had the chance to try to argue her case. The salarian took a step back, finally realizing he had gone too far. Addison had supported Tann at the time because she knew they couldn’t afford any cracks to be seen in the leadership. Not after Sloane had defected with the exiles. Regret had been a bitter aftertaste ever since. She’d managed to put it from her mind until the human Pathfinder had arrived and everything came back.

“I won’t have you harass me on my station Ryder. No matter how many friends you have in high places.” Tann snapped at her as he glanced over at Evfra. Evfra’s eyes burned with fury at the story unfolding. Cerise stared at Tann with cold, unflinching eyes. She’d long ago accepted her lot in life. She just couldn’t accept that Tann still got away with banishing the krogan, exiles, and herself.

“What do you mean you _exiled_ my daughter!?” The snarl broke both Tann and Cerise out of their pissing match. Alec stalked towards the salarian, and Kandros stepped forward. He wasn’t looking forward to having to take down the former N7, Alec Ryder was rumored to be one tough bastard. Cerise took a step backwards at the fury in her father’s eyes. She mistakenly believed it was for her. Her father would no doubt be disappointed she’d spoken out against the Initiative so publicly.

“Alec.” Addison spoke quietly. He turned to look at Foster. “It was fresh after the revolt. We couldn’t afford to let anyone see weakness in the leadership. We couldn’t afford to have anyone question our decisions. Or there would have been chaos.” Addison explained and she saw Cerise’s face shuttered. No doubt the young woman believed Addison sided with Tann but she had to explain to Alec that they’d had no choice.

“Explain yourself Cerise. You knew that the peace was tenuous at best. Yet, you chose to take a risk and upset that balance.” Alec turned towards her as he addressed her. He missed the pained look on Colin’s face and how Jaal held him back from stepping up. Addison jumped at the harsh tone Alec took with Cerise. “I would have thought you’d have grown working with the militia.”

“Cerise…” Evfra put a hand on her shoulder and she fought the burning in her eyes. Alec turned to his daughter and saw the mutinious look in her face. If her dad wanted to believe Tann and Addison, without truly hearing her side of the story… She was more than happy to go back to Kadara. Where she belonged. Somehow, she’d known he would believe Tann and Addison, and he wouldn’t even ask her. Always the little girl seeking approval from her dad, and never getting it. Forever the disappointment. That summed up her relationship with Alec Ryder. Cerise turned away from the group.

“I’ll be in the Tempest.” Her clipped voice brokered no argument as she headed towards the bay the ship was at. There was nothing for her on the Nexus, she knew that. Deep down, she’d hoped that there had been something there to salvage with her father, but death and the separation hadn’t changed a damn thing about him.

Evfra caught Jaal’s eye and followed Cerise to the Tempest. Colin ached for his sister and he whirled to face down the Nexus leadership. Fury bubbled up in him and threatened to tie his tongue into knots, but this was important. This was for his sister. He saw Alec watching Cerise as she disappeared into the corridor with confusion on his face.

“Director Addison. Director Tann.” Colin’s voice was deliberate and cold. Addison jumped a bit at hearing it. She’d never heard the Pathfinder sound like this, he sounded dangerous. Alec looked down at his son as he spoke. “You don’t know what it’s like out there. You’ve been safely tucked away in the Nexus for the entire time we’ve been here. Food and water have been in ready supply, even with rationing. The exiles have scrounged for everything they have and many weren’t successful. I don’t appreciate you making my sister out to be a villain. Not when you have zero clue as to how life is lived outside the Nexus.”

“She’s a _mercenary._ ” Tann spat out but Colin snapped and interrupted him. His patience at an end to the political bullshit on the Nexus.

“ _You made her into one!_ ” He snarled at the salarian. “If you’d never exiled her, she would still be a member of the militia. She’d be here on the Nexus. But you decided you didn’t like her questioning your authority. Everyone knows you hate krogan Tann. I don’t doubt your decision was personal. Quit making it seem like it was for the good of the Initiative.” Colin sneered. He turned on his heel and looked at his father. “Ask Cerise what happened if you want the truth Dad. Until then, I have a fucking cluster to save.” Colin then executed a perfect about-face and stalked towards the Tempest himself. Jaal quickly joined him after glaring at the trio. Kandros quietly slipped away before the fireworks could begin. He could always watch the security vids later to get all the details.


	24. Chapter 24

Cerise stormed onto the ship, startling Kallo in his pilot’s chair. He wasn’t entirely comfortable around the Pathfinder’s sister yet, but she didn’t even see him as she swept in through the airlock and straight towards the back of the ship. He’d briefly seen the fury and held in check tears on her face as she’d hurried past him, it tugged at him. That bleak look. Evfra soon followed and Kallo indicated the back of the ship. If anyone could calm down the human, it had to be the Resistance leader. He had proven to have a calming effect on Cerise on their journey to the Nexus. Kallo received word from SAM to ready the Tempest for departure.

“Ryder. In here.” Evfra caught up to her and nudged her towards the tech lab. She went into it gratefully. Her control was barely holding on as it was. Evfra locked the door and requested privacy while they dealt with the aftermath. SAM acknowledged it and the lock quietly clicked to red. Evfra could see the barely restrained emotion in the stiff set of her shoulders, the rage and grief trembling in her muscles, and the misery that clouded her eyes. He stepped up to her and pulled her into his arms without a word. She stiffened in resistance but he placed a hand on top of her head. She carried too much alone, even he wasn’t entirely sure about what all she had been through. He knew she needed him now and he was here for her, in whatever capacity she needed. The pain and rage on her face cut at his very soul.

Her hands fisted in his shirt and he felt her shoulders shake violently, as the wall she kept up came crumbling down. Not a sound escaped her aside from the occasional hiccupping breath. She poured out all the rage and grief that had been bottled inside her since coming to Andromeda, and he suspected, since childhood. She’d only told him bits and pieces of what her family was like, and Evfra suspected it wasn’t a pleasant tale. He placed a hand on her lower back while his other stroked her hair gently and held her through the maelstrom of grief. It appeared that seeing her father again brought everything back to the surface.

Cerise lifted her head as the tears trickled to a stop. It would be Evfra that saw her at this most vulnerable moment, and she was startled by the realization she wasn’t scared by it. She felt safe with him. Safe was a word she wouldn’t normally associate with the Resistance leader, but she did. Safe was a word she hadn’t felt since landing in Andromeda. His arms didn’t cage her in, she knew if she stepped back he’d release her instantly. There was no pressure here, it was all by choice. He always gave her a choice. He brushed her hair out of her face with a gentle touch, her cheek leaned into his hand. “Are you ready to speak of it?” Evfra’s rumbling voice rolled over her and she found that she _did_ want to talk about her past and her complicated relationship with Alec Ryder. Her wounds were bared to the air and now it was time to properly close them. She prayed Evfra would still be there when she was finished. Deep down she knew that if he left, a vital part of her would shatter.

“I suppose it is time.” Cerise murmured as she looked up at him. She squealed as he scooped her up, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and her legs around his waist in a bid to regain her balance as he strode over to Jaal’s bed. Evfra settled them both down, her sitting across his legs, and waited for her to start. She wanted to laugh at the picture they must have made since he dwarfed her with how broad he was. Despite his size, he cradled her like she was spun glass. It amused, and touched her, to have someone treat her delicately. Cerise honestly didn’t know _how_ to begin. “Shall I start from the beginning or just get to the juicy bits?” She gave him a wobbly smile.

“Cerise. Talk about whatever you wish. I will be here.” She relaxed slightly and decided to begin on the day Colin’s biotics manifested. She spoke of the panic her parents displayed but after that their attention had shifted to Colin. Ellen was a researcher into biotic implants and spent time helping Colin to master his craft. Alec was a soldier, which meant he wasn’t home often, and hadn’t a clue on how to connect on a personal level with his children. Cerise had never doubted he loved them, but he just didn’t know them. Cerise explained about Colin’s stutter and the bullies. The times she was beaten and how she’d learned from it so that it never happened again. She told him about the uncertainty of her youth, not knowing if her parents even cared. As an adult, she could look back and see that her parents cared, but as a child she was unable to see it. The child had craved her parents’ attention and had done anything to get it. Even if it meant punishment and acting out.

Ellen had been called down to the school more often than Cerise was sure was healthy for a mother. Every week the principal told her mother about some scrap or brawl Cerise had gotten into because of bullies. She wasn’t quite sure how she wasn’t expelled. It hadn’t mattered to Cerise that her mother had lectured her the entire way home, for once her attention was focused solely on Cerise. Ellen had tried therapy but the child would never open up to any therapist. Eventually Ellen had given up trying to change the child and Alec put Cerise into martial arts classes to help focus her wild energy. It simply taught her how to defend herself better. Throughout it all, Cerise explained her parents had done what they could. She had been a difficult kid. Her parents had simply been unable to deal with how much she’d acted out.

“No. You were a child that was desperate for love and affection from your parents.” Evfra told her with shock in his voice. “It is not the fault of the child Cerise. It is a fault in the parents.” He pulled her against him as she chuckled nervously, but he sensed her composure hanging on by a thread. It explained why she had retreated into herself when he’d had to send that email. Her mind understood his reasonings but her heart didn’t. Everyone rejected her or left her, and her heart had reasoned it made sense that he did as well. It was more fragile than he’d expected, and he realized what a gift it was to have. The demons that must shadow her thoughts. He knew about demons riding his shoulders, but they never attacked his core. Cerise’s demons attacked her very soul. If her parents couldn’t love her, then how could she trust anyone else to.

“You up to hearing the rest of this maudlin tale?” Cerise looked up at him and he felt his throat constrict. There was _more_? There was always more. She spoke of working in the garage and learning all there was to know about engines. Evfra was amazed to hear she could build something as long as she had the schematics for it. He made a note to see about getting her some schematics for a weapon. Her eyes darkened when she spoke of the garage’s owner and the organized crime ring the shop ran. Luckily, she’d stayed on the fringes of that life, as no one wanted to get on Alec Ryder’s bad side. Evfra was thankful for that as well. Cerise shared with him about the turian C-SEC officer on the Citadel that had been the one to reach out to her. The lone voice of support and understanding, and the only voice to not pass judgment on her life because she’d been a known troublemaker. Then she spoke of the ultimatum her father gave her. Evfra inhaled sharply and looked down at her.

“Dad’s always been protective of Mom. They really did love each other. He’d do anything to not hurt her.” Cerise leaned her head against his chest. She heard the comforting sound of his heartbeat. It was different than a human’s, faster and there was an extra beat there, but it was just as comforting to her. The pain of her father’s words that night still cut deep. It had been the night that Cerise realized just how expendable she was. Long term attachments became something Cerise avoided and she’d broken up with her serious girlfriend that night. She also hadn’t wanted her girlfriend to worry about her being in the Alliance, Vivi understood and had wished her well. Though they both knew that it was something else that drove Cerise to breaking up with her.

“And well. Dad made SAM and now here we are in Andromeda.” Cerise finished lamely as she sat and waited to hear his reaction. She wouldn’t blame him if he rejected her, she had a _lot_ of baggage after all. It would kill her but she’d accept it. His hand paused in its movements through her hair, before it slid down to her cheek. His thumb gently brushed at the moisture there before tilting her head up to look at him.

“Cerise.” His face was intense as he looked at her. She saw barely restrained anger, pain at her pain, and something else that had hope rising inside her against her better judgment. “Why do you expect me to reject you again? I accepted you when all I knew was you were an exile of your people, which carries a heavy taboo in mine. I accepted you when I thought you were a surly bitch who was too haughty for her own good.” Cerise stiffened at that and sent him a withering look about the surly bitch comment, even if it was true. The butterflies of hope danced in her chest at his words.

“Why would you think I’d reject you when I hear about your past? Everyone has one.” He leaned down and touched his forehead against hers and she felt the warmth spreading in her chest. She reached up and brushed his scar with her fingers. “You are the only one who could understand the kind of pain that I have endured. You understand survival in a way I didn’t expect of a human.” He sighed and lifted his head to look at her. “In all the galaxy, I never thought to meet my match in a human.” He paused and chuckled. “And a short, angry one at that.”

“Well, we’ll be a pair of grumps then.” Cerise lifted her lips in a lopsided smile as she lifted her arm to wrap around his neck. “Because I never thought I’d find my other half in a cranky angara who has an issue with letting people close to him.” She knew there would be more things to smooth out, but for now. For now, she could enjoy being home. The fight wasn’t done at all, but this peaceful interlude was something she’d treasure. The Archon was still out there and he knew about Cerise now. Cerise leaned back and met his eyes with hers filled with nerves. “I love you.” His eyes widened at her words, and she smiled at his shock. She’d never said the words to anyone before, hadn’t meant them before. The fear inside her, the one that spoke to all her doubts and whispered to her about rejection, was still there and screaming at her to run. She ignored it and took the leap of faith to trust this man. He understood her on a level that none had before. He accepted her, flaws and baggage and all. It was unnerving to know how much power he had over her. Cerise relied on her ability to not need anyone, her ability to survive alone. Yet, within the spans of a year, she’d come to rely on Evfra so much. She knew if they were together he’d grab her hand if she held it out. Just as she would go to his aid if she was able.

“Cerise.” Evfra murmured, voice hoarse with emotion. He reached up and cupped the side of her face. Her heart thundered in her ears as she met his gaze, her eyes darting around his face nervously. “Cerise, there is.” Evfra began when the lock flipped to green and the door opened with a soft hiss. Jaal walked in speaking on his omni-tool and paused as he took in the scene before him. The leader of the Resistance with the leader of Andromeda’s most feared mercenary group on his lap, in what could only be described of as a tender moment. And he ruined it. _Oops._

Cerise pushed at Evfra’s chest as she tried to get out of his lap. She was muttering threats under her breath to get him to let her go. After a particularly vicious one, he tightened his grip on her waist. Embarassment was not something Cerise dealt with well, just like most other big emotions. She would bluster and rage in embarrassment and her threats were mostly empty. _Mostly._ Her cheeks were flushed red from being caught, even if it was Jaal. The other man stammered an apology before backing out of the tech lab, but the moment was lost now. Evfra released Cerise as the door shut and she scrambled off of his lap.

“Cerise.” He stood in one fluid motion. Cerise marveled at how graceful he was, as _big_ as he was. She could be graceful on the battlefield, but mostly she tended to get tunnel vision and trip over absolutely nothing. Anxo had called it an endearing trait while Jusca called it a weak one. Her eyes narrowed as he approached, the hairs on the back of her neck rose at his approach. She’d never pegged the angara as predatory, but her body was reacting like prey being hunted. She jumped in surprise as her back hit the solid metal of the tech lab wall, she hadn’t been aware of moving backward. Evfra caged her in with one hand on either side of her head.

“Are you ready to listen?” Her head tilted back to maintain eye contact with him. She clenched her fists against the metal wall to keep them still as his chest brushed against hers. It had been a long separation and she _missed_ him damn it. Cerise nodded to acknowledge his question.

“Good.” He slid one hand up her neck to cup her cheek, his thumb stroked the soft skin there. His eyes roved over her face as he watched her relax into his touch. “You have come to mean a great deal to me. I only saw a mercenary, someone out for their own gain. Yet, you proved again and again that you have honor. More honor than many of your kind.” Evfra ran his lips over her temple and tightened his hold as she tried to turn her head away. Displays of affection made her uncomfortable. Desire she could handle, but not this tender touching. Evfra made a silent vow to include more. “You never hesitated to express your opinion, wanted or not.” His lips curved in a smile as he felt rather than heard the snort. It was an endearing habit she had. “I found myself looking forward to working with you. If we worked with other humans I’d look for you in a crowd of them. It was only supposed to be a way to release a misguided fascination.”

“Yet, it turned into a need for you. You complete me as no one else has.” He watched as her vision blurred from the tears spilling down her face. She’d deny them until her dying breath, but he wiped them away with a gentle caress. “I love you too Cerise Ryder.” Evfra watched the emotions play over her face with amusement. Shock, puzzlement, and finally acceptance all raced over her face.

She reached up and brushed her fingers over the scars on his face. She’d never pressed him for details, just as he never pressed her for details about the scar on her back. Yet they both accepted that when the time was right, both would discuss their traumatic experiences. Evfra wrapped his hand around her wrist, feeling just how small the bones were. She seemed larger than life when on the battlefield or when she was in a temper. He easily forgot that he stood over a head taller than she, and how fine boned she was. It never mattered how much muscle she had on her small frame, she was petite. It kicked protective instincts he’d long thought dormant into life, but he knew she’d never appreciate them.

“ _Pardon the intrusion Evfra de Tershaav. The Pathfinder has requested I inform you that we will be reaching Kadara in approximately four hours._ ”

“Thank you SAM.” Cerise piped up as Evfra ground his teeth together. He’d never get used to that AI, but it was a necessary evil. Evfra reminded himself that without SAM they’d never have gotten into the kett facility where the Moshae had been held hostage at. Her silver eyes twinkled at him in amusement at his grumbling. “I know you don’t like SAM.”

“And you do?” She’d never been a fan of the AI before and had voiced her opinions about it.

“Not necessarily. I just don’t know SAM. He’s not a part of me the same way he is with Colin. Though I was told that my implant has the capability to host SAM like Colin.” Cerise told Evfra. The angara went still and her eyes narrowed in concern as her hand slid to his cheek. “Evfra?”

“You mean that the AI could kill you too?” His fingers dug into her arms with bruising strength as the images flashed through his mind. He’d read the mission report from the Pathfinder about the flagship. It had been concerning but he hadn’t experienced this bone deep fear. Cerise sucked in a breath and his thoughts circled in his mind.

“ _Theoretically, yes. If I was connected to Cerise as I am to Colin, then I could stop her heart. However, as I am not, there is no possibility of that happening._ ” SAM’s mechanical voice washed over the two of them.

“I don’t think I’d let SAM stop my heart anyway.” Cerise stroked his cheek. He jerked as SAM spoke and glanced at the ceiling. He glared and grumbled about no privacy on the ship as Cerise laughed. “There never is on a ship. It’s why I like my boots on the ground.” Cerise grinned at him.

“ _Cerise. There is a call incoming for you from a salarian named Anxo. He says it is an urgent matter._ ” Cerise looked up in surprise. Anxo? Why would her second in command be calling her? Her stomach churned at the thought that something had happened. Evfra stepped back and she let her hand slowly glide over his cheek before turning towards the door. He knew, without asking, that this was a call that could not be put off. Her people would never call her on Initiative channels if it was not important. The trip was only a few steps since the tech lab was next to the conference room.

“Anxo? What’s going on?” Cerise asked as the salarian flickered into view.

“Good to see you’re not in cuffs Cerise. I got the report that AI sent about the doctor. A shuttle arrived at Diteon about an hour ago. It was supposed to be supplies only but I have a friend who works at their depot. There was a person on that shuttle. Matches the description we got of the doctor.” Anxo told her as a dark smile full of promises curled on her lips. Evfra shivered at the look.

“Any idea if he’s still there or not?” Anxo shook his head.

“He left according to my friend. Funny thing. He headed up in the direction of the building that old anti-AI group holed up in. Last I heard, the Outcasts took that over as a main base.”

“Well shit.” Cerise grumbled as Anxo nodded. “I wasn’t quite ready to pick a fight with those assholes yet. Looks like the good doctor is forcing my hand. We land in four hours. I’ll see if the Pathfinder can clear you and two of the others for Diteon. Meet me there and we’ll see what we can come up with.” Cerise informed him. Anxo nodded.

“And we expect to know what the heck is going on Cerise.”

“Of course. Just not over this channel okay?” He nodded and clicked off the call, knowing Cerise would explain when she arrived in Kadara.

“ _It would be faster if the Pathfinder helped_.” Cerise rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she walked over to the railing.

“No offense SAM, but my brother kind of sticks out on Kadara. The Pathfinder on the planet full of pirates and exiles? Especially if he approached an Outcast base, he sided with the Collective. He’d tip off the good doctor before we got close to him. A few mercenaries, even if they are my mercenaries, won’t garner nearly as much attention.” She turned her back and faced the table. “Besides, the Outcasts have been causing trouble lately. No one will bat an eye that we’re going to go deal with a cell of them.”

“ _As you say Ryder_.” SAM murmured and clicked off. Cerise was left to her thoughts on the way to Kadara as she tried to formulate a plan to approach the base without being noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update! Black Emporium took up more time than I thought as my assignment took off with a life of its own. I'm back but updates will still be sporadic as now it is Nanowrimo.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!! Updates will be sporadic but I found my motivation again after taking a long break from most of the Mass Effect fandom. So here's to finally giving these two dorks attention again.

Cerise had claimed a tiny corner in the cargo bay while they traveled to Kadara. Colin told her they had to make a stop by Eos, so she was stuck on the ship until he was done. She blew out an impatient breath as she stood and stretched. The sound of footsteps drew her attention, most of Colin’s crew had exited the ship for Prodromos. Cerise was still considered an exile so she kept to herself on the ship. The familiar figure of Evfra strode into view and warmth blossomed in her chest as she watched him moving. Ever since their talk things had been cautious between them. What they had was still blossoming and fragile, neither one wanted it to break.

“Evfra, what brings you down here?” Normally he would stay near the tech lab and research room. She leaned her hip against one of the crates as she looked up at him, wiping the grease and oil from her hands with the cloth Gil had given her.

“Have your contacts on Kadara presented any more information about this doctor?” Cerise puffed out an irritated breath as she ran a hand through her hair. She had her people scouting out the building and the news wasn’t good. The sooner they got to Kadara so she could handle it, the better. The grim news must have shown on her face. “I see.”

“He’s amassed a lot of resources. Trixa reported that she spotted some crates with angaran logos on them. We’re familiar with a lot of the merchants on Aya, but some of the crests weren’t in our databanks.” Cerise tossed the grease rag down on the crate behind her. She’d been helping out Gil with some minor maintenance to the ship while she was stuck there. “The bastard’s somehow organized what was left of the Outcasts and some of the free roaming scavs from the badlands.” She wasn’t happy with the development, neither was Reyes when she’d called to inform him of it. “The Collective is helping as well, but I don’t know how well we can take this thing on. I can’t waste all my resources on this guy, no matter how much I want answers.” It ate at her that she couldn’t get rid of him or get the answers she wanted. Most pressing being: _Why?_ Why did the jackass choose her father?

“Cerise.” She held up a hand and shook her head.

“I already know the Resistance isn’t getting involved. This is a Kadara problem anyway.” She shrugged a shoulder but he grasped her wrist.

“I can spare a few men to help. Shani has mentioned wanting to see some of your crew again.” Startled grey eyes snapped up to his. He’d managed to surprise her, and that sparked a pleasant feeling in his chest. The woman was entirely too stubborn and willing to isolate herself.

“I’ll have to confer with Reyes first. Then we’ll decide from there.” A low rumble escaped from his chest and she tilted her head. “What was that for?” She recognized that growl, it was his pissed off but won’t say why growl.

“I don’t like you spending so much time with Shena.” He ignored her snort of laughter at the name. He knew that Reyes was a pleasant looking human and he could be charming if the situation called for it. Evfra didn’t want that near Cerise. He wouldn’t call it jealousy, it was worry. The slippery man could switch sides in a heartbeat if it suited him, and Evfra didn’t want Cerise caught up in that.

“Why? You don’t honestly think I’m attracted to Reyes?” Her eyes widened in disbelief at the drawn out silence. “Evfra. Seriously? Yeah, Vidal is good looking.” He stiffened and she grinned. “But that’s about all I feel. We both know the other is too valuable an ally to muck it up with sex. It would never happen. I can never be sure he wouldn’t stab me while fucking me, so I never ever debated it.” She straightened and slid her arms around his waist, ignoring his stiff posture. “Besides, I’ve never been interested in my brother’s cast offs.”

“Wait. Brother’s cast offs? What does that mean?” Cerise snickered at his bewilderment, she didn’t mean to poke fun at him. It was just rare to see him jealous, and to think he was jealous of Reyes was too funny. She’d never had anyone get jealous about her before, and he’d never make it possessive. Evfra wasn’t the type to be controlling, he saw the futility in it.

“Reyes and my brother almost had a relationship before Vidal screwed it up by lying to my brother. The one thing Colin can’t stand is dishonesty.” Cerise answered honestly. Her brother didn’t bother to hide what happened from her or from Jaal. Though she was starting to see something blossom between those two and it made her smile.

“I see. I didn’t know this.” She felt him relax and his arm came up to wrap around her waist. It felt good, having the familiar weight against her. The smell, dark citrus and all him. It reminded her of rain forests, the one her mother took her to before the illness made it too hard to travel. She missed him.

“I’ve got more exotic tastes it seems.” Cerise grinned up at him. He scoffed but his thumb brushed against her lower back. The shiver went through her and she bit back the groan. Cerise was a tactile person, touch meant a great deal to her when it came to relationships. Evfra seemed to understand without having it said. Her back moved into the touch, just a bit of movement.

Evfra paused as a thought occurred to him. The ship was empty, or nearly so. The salarian pilot rarely seemed to leave the bridge, so it was doubtful he’d come back to the cargo bay or any of the other places. The Pathfinder would be out for another few hours taking care of some kett stragglers. The rest of the crew had disembarked at the colony as well. He’d chosen to stay aboard for his own reasons. His arm tightened around Cerise’s waist as the thought of fucking her against the crates went through his mind. Ryder noticed the slight shift in his posture and arched one slim eyebrow at him.

“I have something to discuss with you. In the tech lab.” Evfra sent a mental apology to Jaal for what was about to occur but he needed to feel her skin under his hands. Cerise laughed and shook her head.

“All right. Lead the way.” She squealed as he hauled her up with his arm. Those legs wrapped around his waist as her hands scrambled for purchase. “You are a jerk.” She hissed at him. Her words lacked bite; he knew she wasn’t truly angry at him. Merely annoyed he didn’t give her a warning. Evfra knew that Cerise got aroused when he’d lift her up, her body told him how much she enjoyed it. It didn’t take him long to reach the tech room, he only set her down so she could climb the ladder. When he cleared the top of the ladder she turned to face him.

“Ulterior motives Evfra? You?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as he backed her towards the tech lab. Heat simmered in her belly as the door slid open behind her and he followed her in. The lock changed to red and he reached for her. Cerise sighed as his lips covered hers in a devouring kiss. The flash of heat set her nerves aflame as his hands tugged at her tank top. Her fingers flew to the snaps and clasps of his clothing, familiar to her now. Her head fell back as he filled his hands with her breasts, molding their weight to his hands. His lips trailed over her neck, his teeth leaving harsh marks behind. Her moans that followed told him she loved it. His hands slid down to her waist, relishing the shudder that went through her. He lifted her as his cock slid out of its sheath, his need for her was too great. She seemed to mirror his need as her legs wrapped around him. He entered her in a swift stroke, pausing as they both adjusted.

Cerise dug her fingers into his shoulders as her body stretched. She’d been more than ready for him and every bump and ridge hit just the right spot inside of her. Stars danced behind her eyelids as he adjusted his hold on her ass, just before he thrust again. Cerise cried out as the heat tightened in her core. She reached up to stroke the side of his face before he stopped moving in her. She squealed as he began to move, each step causing heated sparks to dance along her core. Cerise gasped as he lowered her onto the mattress, but she quickly picked up what he wanted. She twisted and went to her hands and knees. His chest pressed against her back and his lips brushed against the back of her neck. His cock slid inside of her again and she groaned as the angle made it feel so good. One of his hands slipped under her and stroked her clit in time with his thrusts. It was enough to send her closer to the edge.

“Why is the door to the tech lab locked?” Jaal’s deep voice reached them through the door and Cerise froze. Evfra’s fingers didn’t stop and she bit the blankets under her to muffle her cries. The heat rolled through her as he slammed into her one last time. His teeth latched onto her shoulder and she felt his groan against her back as he spilled himself inside of her.

 _“Cerise Ryder, what would you like me to do?”_ SAM’s voice filtered through her omni-tool as she tried to get her breathing back under control. Evfra growled something about an annoying AI on the ship and on Aya. Cerise shook her head to clear the after glow from it.

“Buy us five minutes SAM?” Cerise didn’t fully trust the AI, but Colin put a lot of faith in it. So, she would see if SAM would help them. A few moments later they heard SAM’s mechanical voice on the other side of the door.

 _“My apologies. A malfunction in one of the relays has caused a delay on the lock. I will override.”_ She heard Colin on the other side affirming that SAM should override it. She and Evfra jumped from the bed and scrambled back into their clothing. Cerise ran a hand through her hair when she felt the slight sting at her shoulder. She glanced to the side and saw the teeth marks.

“So much for subtlety.” Cerise grumbled as Evfra stood behind her.

“Are you upset?” She turned to face him, surprised to hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“For you only. I know what a public relationship with someone like me could do to the Resistance.” She was surprised by his scoff.

“Let them talk. If they cannot see that you are more than just a Kadara exile, then that is _their_ problem.” His hand reached up and cupped her cheek as shock stuttered through her system. Cerise had never been good with feelings, but she knew her next words were important.

Her fingers reached up to stroke over the scar on his face, a tentative smile on her lips. “If it doesn’t bother you?” He shook his head. “Then to hell with what anyone else thinks.” She grinned up at him. He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers as the door slid open.

“There we go… Oh my stars.” Colin walked in and froze as he saw the Resistance leader kissing his sister. Cerise’s shoulders started shaking as her lips curled into a smile. Evfra glanced up at the Pathfinder, annoyance etched onto his face. “I. I should go.” Colin turned on his heel and ran smack into Jaal’s chest.

“Really Evfra? I sleep here.” Jaal muttered as he walked in. Cerise buried his face in Evfra’s chest, in a vain attempt to quell her laughter.

“Let’s ah, give them some privacy Jaal.” Colin ushered the man out of the room and the door slid closed on them.

“It’s safe now.” Evfra announced as Cerise lifted her head. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears from keeping in her laughter. “Only you would find that exchange hilarious.” Evfra sighed as she went off into peals of laughter.

“His face! Poor Colin!!” Cerise howled with laughter as SAM informed them the ship was headed to Kadara. That sobered Cerise up. “Not Aya?”

“I told your brother I would like to be there when the warehouse is infiltrated.” Evfra explained.

“Evfra. I.” Cerise ran a hand through her hair. “I’m glad.” She hadn’t wanted to admit she wanted him with her. The duties of the Resistance leader were many, and Cerise had not wanted to burden him with that request.

“I would not leave you alone to face this Cerise.” He informed her and pulled her in for a hug. Jaal’s annoyed voice told them to get their own room over the intercom. Cerise’s shoulders began to shake again and Evfra sighed as the mood was effectively killed, again. He’d have a thing or two to say to Jaal about this. For now, they could focus on getting ready for the assault on the warehouse.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm finally back with this story. I have all the chapters typed out, so it's finished. I'll be doing once a week updates until it's done.

Cerise clipped the last seal of her armor into place as the Tempest approached the Kadara port. She’d been told they only had a few hours until landing. Her stomach danced with excitement, finally she was going back to what she knew. Keema was going to meet them there along with Trixa and Jusca to give her the rundown, the rest of her company would wait outside of the port for her orders. Trixa had informed her that the entire company had been pulled back for this shakedown. All thirty mercenaries going against the Outcasts was enough to send a statement. There were plenty of her guys who were chomping at the bit to take on the Outcasts, so she had eager soldiers who knew their way around a battlefield. She was waiting to let them loose. Colin had already agreed to give her the lead on this since she was more familiar with the planet. She double checked her supplies when the door to the quarters slid open. Eyes of the same shade met hers, nerves glittering in them. A tentative smile appeared on his face as he approached his sister. “I’m not going to bite Colin.”

“I know. Things are just.” He ran a hand over his hair as he tried to piece together the words in his mind. “Things are tense. It’s like a powder keg out here.” Cerise nodded, on that note they could agree. Their situations were completely different, but the powder keg reference applied to both. The twins had a gap between them that she was sure could be overcome in time, but trust was the missing factor for both of them. She knew that she’d still lay down her life for Colin, there was no doubt there. Cerise turned to face her brother and saw he’d sat on the bed. She would have laughed but she knew he did it, so she didn’t have to crane her neck to talk to him. It was an age-old habit from back when they were teenagers and Cerise realized she’d never grow anymore.

“Any word from Tann about how the Initiative wants you to handle this?” That hadn’t gone over well when Colin had told her. She had very interesting opinions about Tann, many could not be shared with polite society. Or with AIs that absorbed phrases like a sponge. Cora had to inform SAM to scrub the language he’d just heard after Colin told Cerise that Tann wanted the Initiative involved in the assault. They’d, Colin and Cora, hoped Evfra would see reason and calm down Cerise. Evfra had been little help as he agreed Tann needed to stay out of it. Cora had stayed on the Initiative’s side while most of the other crew was torn. Even Kallo didn’t see the importance of the Andromeda Initiative getting involved in the mess on Kadara. Vetra had agreed that the Initiative’s presence would likely add to the growing unease among the exiles and scavs on the planet. The majority of the people living in the port were exiles and they never forgot what the Initiative did to them or loved ones.

“Tensions with the exiles are likely to explode if we send a force of the militia there,” Vetra piped up as Drack scoffed at the thought that Tann gave a damn outside of what could further his own interests. Peebee was slightly concerned about the events as she considered Colin a good friend to her, and she was worried about how things were affecting him. Now the twins stood together in the crew quarters discussing the upcoming events. Both had a damn good idea that shit was going to hit the fan. Cerise just hoped Colin could duck and avoid it.

“He wants boots on the ground. At least he agreed to send Kandros.” Colin laced his fingers together and twirled his thumbs. Cerise seemed to at least get along with Kandros, that would go a long way to smooth some things over. Kandros hadn’t been on the Nexus when the uprising happened, so many of the exiles may not have any ill will towards the turian. Colin wanted a way to change the subject, he wasn’t entirely pleased with how the Initiative handled her exile, but he also didn’t have the clout to get her any kind of justice. Colin wondered if she wanted any justice anyway. His sister seemed to cling to her exile status at times, blustering and redirecting with anger at any questions he brought up about it.

Cerise shifted and Colin’s eyes were drawn to the red mark on her neck, exposed by the way her hair parted. Heat sufficed his face as he remembered the kiss he’d walked in on. He’d been able to deduce that there hadn’t been a malfunction in the lock relay and that SAM was giving them some time to spare an embarrassing scene. He thanked all holy deities he hadn’t walked in on a more embarrassing scene. It still wasn’t something he wanted to think about, but… His mind drifted to Jaal and he was itching to ask about angaran physiology. Lexi could only answer so many questions. Though he’d never been one to ask about sex and such with his sister, she was his only source of information. Colin remembered that Cerise had never been shy about sex and talking about things. He just wanted to make sure he didn’t screw up when it came to Jaal. This was something special, something he didn’t want to screw up with his nerves. He also didn’t want to fuck up by reacting to the angaran equivalent of a dick. His face blazed at the thought of the word.

“Can I speak to you in my quarters Cerise? I’d like a little privacy.” Cerise tilted her head but nodded and followed him. She thought it was odd at the sudden change of conversation, but she wasn’t opposed. The topic wasn’t her favorite anyway. They passed the galley, Cerise noting that Jaal and Evfra were sitting at the table there. They seemed to be engrossed in whatever conversation they were having. She smiled as her eyes drifted over Evfra’s back, just a brief second before she followed Colin in.

“What’s on your mind Colin?” Cerise asked as the doors shut behind them. Colin turned on his heel to face his sister and she saw how red his face was. “Jeez, are you okay? You haven’t been this red since I walked in on you making out with that Blast-o movie poster when we were sixteen.” Her hand propped on her hip as that soft smile turned devilish from teasing her twin.

“SSSSSHHHHHH!!!!” Colin hissed as he clapped a hand over her mouth, eying the door warily. Her shoulders started shaking from laughter, grey eyes twinkling in merriment, as he sent her a quick glare. “And I suppose you’d like Evfra to know how you used to confess your love to the Solardash Boys?”

“You wouldn’t.” Cerise hissed as both twins eyed the other suspiciously. They entered into an unspoken truce to not reveal any embarrassing teenage shenanigans. “Fine. What is it you want to ask?” She wandered around the cabin while Colin composed himself. He took a fortifying breath before spilling it all out in one breath.

“I want to know what angaran sex is like!” Cerise froze at the question and the silence stretched between them. That was louder than he wanted. They heard a loud crash and a choked sound coming from the galley. Colin buried his hands in his face as mortification swam through him. Cerise clapped a hand over her mouth as she fought the laugh. She did feel for her brother. She knew how it felt to be floundering with a different species. Colin had never found another species attractive back in the Milky Way, despite his want to find a partner. This was cute.

“Oh Colin, I’m not laughing at you. I’m really not.” She managed to get out between chortles. “But I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Jaal that heard you.” Colin groaned at the implied meaning, just what he needed. _Evfra_ overhearing his question about sex. “If you want to know, I’ll tell you what I can.” Cerise told him as she bent at her knees to look at him. He mumbled something about putting him out of his misery but Cerise merely patted her brother’s head sympathetically. He sighed and went over to the couch, praying for a drink. Cerise grabbed a water from his little fridge and handed it to him.

“This was so stupid.” Cerise shook her head as he accepted the water with a nod.

“It’s not. You’re curious. Are you and Jaal serious?” Colin gave her one miserable, mortified nod and she smiled. She still had those churning feelings in her gut, the kind that said one thing, but her head was saying another. “I think all angara are different, just like humans differ from one another. Though, pretty sure the basic anatomy is the same. At least as far as compatibility. Never had any problems with it.” Colin groaned and pressed his forehead against the water bottle. “Hey, I’m not going into graphic detail here. That’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself dear brother.” Cerise grinned as she plopped beside him and tucked her legs under her.

“How did you and Evfra wind up being together?” Colin asked and Cerise thought back to the time Evfra had caught her in the shower. She tapped a finger to her lips in thought and decided against it. Her brother didn’t need to know the entire story.

“Maybe one day. Right now, you want to know about what?” Cerise prompted her brother and he blew out a breath. Obviously, he wasn’t going to find out how Evfra got involved with Cerise. Though, given what he’d almost walked in on Colin wasn’t so sure he wanted to know the specifics. As loose lipped as his sister was with sex, she kept her personal life close to the chest.

***************************************************************************

“What is a Blast-o movie poster?” Jaal asked Evfra as they sat at the kitchen, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation. Well, not intentionally of course. Though once the twins had gone into the room their conversation had dropped off. Evfra shrugged and Jaal heard Colin’s retort. “And a Solardash Boy? It appears Cerise was professing her love to them, whoever they were.”

“It is six hundred years in the past and a galaxy away. Whoever they were, they are no longer my concern now.” Evfra informed him as he sipped at the angaran tea. It was palatable. That was all he could say, he dearly missed Aya.

“I want to know what angaran sex is like!!??” Evfra choked on his tea and Jaal’s knee hit the table as they heard the loud exclamation from the Pathfinder’s quarters. It was followed by feminine laughter, much to their chagrin. Loud laughter before she managed to muffle herself or Colin was trying to strangle his sister.

“Is he truly asking about sex?” Evfra grumbled and then he eyed Jaal. “And you haven’t told him what to expect?” Jaal shot him a glance and huffed. Evfra shook his head at Jaal.

“I’ve heard rumors you were no better.” Evfra stiffened at the insinuation. He had gotten some information about humans before becoming serious about Cerise.

“I told her I didn’t know, but I did. I gained information about human anatomy and physiology. She went into it blindly.” He sipped at his tea while Jaal gaped at him.

“Who could possibly have told you about that? We had no contact with the Initiative yet.” Evfra kept his eyes averted and a name popped into Jaal’s mind.

“Shena? You asked Reyes Vidal for information?” Evfra shook his head.

“I asked him to get me the information. I did not specify what it was for.” Jaal snorted and knew that a man like Vidal would have figured it out.

“She’s likely to kill you if she ever finds out.” There was some truth to his words. It was the one thing Evfra would take to his grave. Too bad he didn’t know Reyes had already told Cerise. It hadn’t been pretty, her reaction that is.

“Not me. Shena maybe.” Evfra retorted confidently.

“ _The estimated time of arrival to Kadara Port is three minutes._ ” SAM’s voice floated over them. They watched as the door to the Pathfinder’s quarters slid open and an amused Cerise left the room alone. She turned her head to see them both staring and grinned at them before going into the crew quarters. Her tiny salute to them both had Jaal struggling to hide his own embarrassment at their conversation. Evfra rose and ignored Jaal’s chuckle.

“Three minutes and we finally get things taken care of for good. Then Colin can focus on finding the Archon.” Cerise didn’t bother to look up as he entered. She knew it was him by the way the very air hummed around him. She would never be as sensitive as an angara would be to bioelectricity, but she was getting better at picking his out.

“And then you can come to Aya.” Evfra murmured as he stood behind her. She turned to face him and gave him a tentative smile.

“Yeah.” Cerise wasn’t so sure she’d be welcome on Aya. That still made her stomach jump from the thought. He was adamant, so she’d keep her promise.

“Are you ready?”

“To kick this guy’s ass? Hell yeah. For dealing with the Initiative? Not so much. I’m not exactly the most diplomatic person.” He snorted and brushed his hand against the small of her back, she felt the hum through her armor. It sent a shiver through her and she smiled up at him.

“That is, as you humans say, putting it lightly seasoned.” Cerise chuckled at the translation error and he glanced down at her. “What?”

“It’s, putting it mildly.” His eyes narrowed, and she smiled up at him. “I’d be deplorable at your slang, so don’t take it personally Evfra. I’d butcher Shelesh and you know it.” He nodded at the truth of it. She didn’t take any offense, she’d admitted it.

“ _We are now docking at Kadara Port._ ” SAM informed them and Cerise stepped back. She looked up at him and he knew. Things were going to change between them while they were on Kadara.

“You have to let me call the shots here Evfra. Can you do that?” He drew up and wanted to tell her no. Every instinct he had screamed at him to protect her, keep her by his side. He didn’t want to put her into danger, only wanted her to be kept safe. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing just under her eye, the same eye that watched his face nervously. He saw the emotions pass over her face, he knew what his answer was. What it had to be. He didn’t expect her to kowtow to his demands or his ways, she wouldn’t be the woman he loved if she did that.

“I know better than to try and order you around Cerise.” Evfra leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “It will be hard, but I won’t interfere in your decisions.”

“Good.” Cerise pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss before the ship docked. “Now, let’s go get this asshole.” She walked away from him with her bag slung over her shoulder and Evfra watched her go. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall near the bed. Frustration welled up within him as he battled his own inner demons. He knew kett, how to kill them and what their tactics were. Humans and these scavs? He knew little about how they operated. He would have to let her take the initiative on this and all he wanted was to keep her safe. The memory of his family being taken from him flitted across his mind, but he reminded himself that Cerise knew how to handle herself. She was a seasoned warrior and a skilled technician. The woman had escaped death many times while in Andromeda. His heart turned over at the thought those times may be up.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I lied. I'm uploading the rest of the fic tonight. All 6 chapters left of it.

“I see Tann has already tried to get the upper hand.” Cerise ran her tongue over her teeth as she saw the Initiative colors in the port. Trixa’s mandibles fluttered in amusement as Jusca let out a belly laugh. Such an obvious dominance display, and laughable in this place. Kadara listened to one thing and one thing only: Power. Whoever had the power was in control of the port, and that was the Collective. With the Serpents as honored guests. The turian and krogan clapped their boss’s shoulder. It was good to see their boss again. Trixa crossed her arms as she saw the Tempest crew disembark the ship behind Cerise. Jusca mirrored the movement, a warning sign to the disembarking crew where their loyalty was. Cerise had left the ship early to get away from the mandatory briefing Colin was doing for his crew. It had been a sweet relief to see Jusca barreling towards her on the docks, though she was still seeing spots from the headbutt. That she stayed on her feet was impressive to the soldiers standing around, even if she felt the blood trickle down her face from the impressive bruise above her eyebrow.

“So, who is in charge here boss?” Jusca asked as she watched Kandros approach Colin. The Nexus security head had been a compromise. This involved all of them, and so she was told to make nice. _I will if he will_ , had been her eloquent retort before holing away in her little spot in the cargo bay. Cerise snorted and grumbled something about Tann’s inferiority complex. Jusca grinned at it. She held zero love for the Director and it pleased her to see the boss on the same side. Cerise was on fire today for some reason, and they all saw the _reason_ walking over. Very few knew about Tiran Kandros and Cerise Ryder’s involvement prior to the revolt and her exile. Jusca and Trixa were two of those privileged few. Anxo was the only other one as he was Cerise’s right hand. He had to know if anything would come back and bite them in the rear. It would scrape at Cerise to have to answer to her previous lover, when her current one was standing behind her. The twitch of her lips surprised the two. She was amused? It became clear what she found funny in the next sentence.

“I’m still giving you guys your orders. If Tann wants to interfere then he can go get his men killed. It’s no skin off my back.” Cerise threw out as Kandros approached. No wonder she found it funny. There was no way in hell Cerise Ryder was putting herself at the Nexus’s beck and call. Jusca grinned as Trixa stepped closer to Cerise as Kandros approached.

“Now, now Ryder. Here I was coming over here to extend an olive branch.” Amusement wound its way through his tone and flickered his mandibles. His blue eyes studied the human in front of him and a wealth of conversation flowed unspoken between them.

“Bite me.” Cerise snorted and Trixa’s mandibles flared as she saw the knowing look pass over the turian’s face. _Well, well._ She knew the history between them, but it seemed the attraction wasn’t quite over. At least on Kandros’ end, Cerise was closed tighter than Tann’s sense of humor.

“I’ve come to give you a peace offering. Tann is willing to work together. In exchange for the man being brought in alive.” Cerise crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. Kandros couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. She wasn’t exactly notorious for being benevolent on the field. Yet, he knew that if he secured her word she’d see it through. Convincing her to work with the Initiative was the biggest hurdle.

“Somehow I doubt that’s _all_ Tann wanted. And what is in it for me?” She wasn’t going to keep the asshole alive out of the goodness of her heart. This one wouldn’t give away any information, too bad Tann couldn’t see it. Cerise saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she saw Keema approach. “Ah, Keema. Good to see you again.” Her tone warmed slightly, despite the wary look in her eye. Two predators sized one another up, the tension could be cut with a knife.

“Cerise, darling. It is a pleasure seeing you in the port again. I do wish it were under better circumstances.” Cerise inclined her head as she participated in the dance. Both women knew the danger posed by the situation and the massive damage it could cause if left unchecked. The Outcasts were a pain in the side of the Collective and Serpents. Taking them out would provide some more peace for Kadara. Even if it meant working with the Initiative. The buzz around the port wasn’t favorable since the Nexus had begun flexing its muscle. The wounds were still fresh for many of the residents, and anger simmered below the veneer of calm. “Who is your charming turian companion?” Cerise snorted in laughter as Kandros froze in bewilderment at being caught in the crossfires. Trixa and Jusca watched the exchange without comment, they kept their gaze focused on the port. Danger lurked everywhere but Cerise trusted them to watch her back. She explained Kandros’ involvement and Tann’s _offer_ to her. Keema wasn’t stupid enough to miss the venom and the slap of the offer. This Tann underestimated them, which could work in their favor. She fixed a charming smile on Kandros.

“I see. I am glad that the Initiative has seen reason in this matter. After all, your people hardly know Kadara as well as ours do. And I fully trust Ryder here to see to it that my people suffer minimal casualty.” Keema shot Cerise a beaming smile and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Fat chance. Cerise was concerned with her own people, and Evfra. That was it. The Collective could handle themselves. It helped that Evfra and her people were seasoned soldiers, she didn’t have to hover over them on the battlefield. Her people she could move with on the ground with little verbal communication, they’d fought so often together that it wasn’t needed. Cerise knew that Vidal would be on that field with his soldiers, him or Lux. Cerise had no doubt that the Charlatan wasn’t going to let things lie without taking a personal hand in the matter, not when it meant leaving it to a Ryder. Especially this Ryder. The idea of irking Reyes amused her.

“Right. Ready to head to the coordinates?” Cerise asked Kandros as Keema left them. She noticed his hesitation and her spine snapped with wariness, the hairs on the back of her neck rose as he rubbed at the back of his neck. It was against most of turian culture to lie, they were notoriously bad liars. As a whole, there were always exceptions. Trixa was one as she had a smooth tongue. Kandros, on the other hand, was the worst liar she’d ever encountered. He was hiding something, and her eyes narrowed at him. This made his nerves worse as her krogan and turian companions sent him answering glares. He could take care of himself, but he knew when to back down. He heaved a sigh and rubbed at his neck again.

“Yeah, there’s one more thing. Tann tried to talk him out of it.” Kandros explained as he heard the booming voice of Alec Ryder behind them, calling out for Colin. Cerise went still as death in front of him. A thousand emotions battled inside her until rage, her old friend, blasted through.

“You let my _father_ come here!?” Cerise snarled, drawing the attention of the crew to her. Evfra’s eyes narrowed as he saw the body language between the two. He’d analyze it later when he had time. Cerise was in distress, he tugged at the hood. There were too many risks for him to be seen at Kadara port, the Resistance did have a few enemies here. He felt ridiculous after being talked into wearing the disguise. His head turned as the voice boomed over the port. He’d also heard Alec Ryder’s voice and anger bubbled in him. He remembered Cerise’s face when the elder Ryder had taken Tann’s side in the argument on the Nexus. It had been shattered, whatever hope she’d had in her father had been destroyed by that one action. He’d never forgive the man for hurting her like that. Father or not.

“You know as well as I do there’s no letting your dad do anything.” Kandros reminded her as Cerise rubbed a hand over her face. “Oh, and he knows about your company.” Her answering groan amused him.

“Great. Any _other_ surprises you want to throw my way Kandros?” She didn’t look up; her face was buried in her hand. She missed the look that passed over Kandros’ face but Evfra didn’t. It didn’t fill him with jealousy like earlier as he saw the worry in the turian’s face. Hard as it was to distinguish facial expressions in them. He’d keep his personal feelings in check until after the mission, best not to let himself get distracted while on the field. He’d talk to Cerise about it later.

“No, that’s about it. Think I’ve met my quota for surprises for the day.” Cerise snorted and scrubbed her hand over her face as she heard Colin approach, she didn’t have to guess who the second pair of footsteps belonged to. She didn’t want to deal with this right now. Too much at once and she just wanted to take her anger out on the battlefield and that asshole. Her head lifted, and she met her father’s look defiantly. Her storm cloud grey eyes glittered like ice. They were on _her_ turf.

Alec took in the scene as objectively as he could. This was where his daughter had been forced to live? He’d gotten the full story from Addison and while he couldn’t completely condemn Tann’s actions, he was growing angrier by the second that he saw the state of Kadara. He shuddered at the trials that she would have endured. He also saw the turian and krogan at her back, both watching them with barely concealed hatred. That startled him. Being shunned for his work on AI had been hard, but this was entirely different. These women would not hesitate to fight him if they wanted to, and Kadara wouldn’t care. He studied his daughter’s face and shock filled him. The look in his daughter’s eyes startled him, hard as ice and just as cold. It was like he was staring at a completely new Cerise. “Boss, you ready? Anxo’s got the shuttle waiting outside the slums for us.” The krogan addressed Cerise after a tense standoff.

“Tann’s generously provided us transportation as well.” Kandros added as he watched Ryder. Her shoulders squared and he saw as her eyes went cold. It had his mandibles flickering at the dangerous glint to those hard eyes, she looked like a person who would slit his throat and never look back. Just what had the exiles endured? He’d been away from the Nexus when the revolt happened, and it churned his soul to know he could’ve tried to help prevent her exile. It certainly made him think about things as he saw Cerise give the turian, Trixa, her orders.

“We’ll meet at these coordinates Kandros. If your guys can’t let an _exile_ take point then they can just get the hell out of our way.” Cerise snapped at him. Kandros felt the sting of pride and he took a step forward, but Ryder never flinched. Clearly it was time to establish dominance. “I mean it. Your guys have no fucking clue how it goes here. My people have been scouting, they’ve done the legwork. I have the reports and I trust them.” Meaning, stay the hell out of our way.

“Kandros. Cerise is right. She’s had her people and the Collective working on scouting the place, eliminating any outside threats we may face, and got all the information that could be gleaned about this asshole.” Colin piped up as he stepped up beside his sister. Alec lifted an eyebrow but Kandros puffed out an irritated breath. The Pathfinder was siding with his sister, Tann wouldn’t like it. He’d rant and rave about it, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Kandros knew an insurmountable obstacle when it slapped him in the face.

“Yeah. We’ll stay low and provide suppressing fire. Just remember that the deal for staying out of the way is to bring the guy in alive.” Cerise bristled at the compromise but had to agree. She didn’t want to let it go without comment.

“Sure. I make no promises regarding that now. If he resists, I’m not putting my skin on the line so Tann can act like some fucking hero by bringing in this guy. You know what he can go do with that stick of his.” Cerise saw Colin’s lips twitch as her father’s brow lowered in anger. She had no respect. Her wicked grin had her brother groaning as he covered his face with his hand. Jusca let loose with a deep belly laugh as Trixa coughed to cover up a laugh. Only Ryder would be brave enough to bad mouth the Director of the Initiative. In front of the Pathfinder, head of Security, and her father no less.

“Cerise Ryder, that is the Director of the Initiative you are speaking of.” Cerise rolled her eyes at Alec’s harsh tone and sent him a look full of loathing. That may have worked when she was twelve, but she wasn’t a child hungering for his love and approval anymore. That Cerise died a long time ago with her mother. He started at the ice glittering in her eyes.

“I don’t give a flying fuck. No one does on Kadara. Except maybe Diteon. Tann turned his back on us, so why should we give a fuck about how he _feels_?” Cerise shrugged and Trixa tapped her omni-tool. “Right. Here are the coordinates Kandros. See you there.” She sauntered over to the elevator down to the slums, flanked by the krogan and turian. Alec and Kandros watched as she descended while checking her favorite pistol. Pointedly refusing to look at them anymore.

“I tried to warn you she’d changed.” Colin explained to Alec. “This place has a way of doing that Dad.” Alec opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by an angry voice.

“Watch your tone.” Evfra felt the eyes on him as Jaal stood at his side, silently pleading with him not to make a mistake. “You don’t know what she or the others have suffered. Until you do, you’d best keep your judgment to yourself.” Evfra turned to the slums before he made a grievous mistake with his words with the senior Ryder. Jaal loved Colin but Evfra had seen the devastation in Cerise after seeing her father again. His priorities didn’t lie with Alec Ryder, and it was time everyone knew it. He stormed off to the console with the other Resistance fighters that stepped forward. Alec looked over at Colin and the speaking glance had his son shrugging.

“I don’t know all she went through Dad. You know Cerise won’t share anything if she doesn’t want to, she’s even more stubborn than you. I do know that it was bad, bad enough to leave scars on her body. I can’t imagine what was left on her mind.” He went to the elevator after Evfra, leaving Alec and Kandros to bring up the rear. Jaal and Drack were with him as they descended to the Nomad.

“Are you seriously driving that? Remember the incident on 93?” Cerise asked her brother as she sat back in the co-pilot seat. Anxo was a much better pilot than her, and she was content to let him fly. Colin grumbled about getting better but then he mentioned not wanting to share a shuttle. Her brother was a notoriously bad driver. She’d banned him from ever riding her bike again after he’d somehow jumped a barricade and they’d gone tumbling into the river. They never told Alec or Ellen about what happened, but Cerise told him he was never touching her bike again. She laughed at the memory now and how grumpy Colin looked. “Not so keen on having your freedom restricted. Yeah, me either. Here, I’m forwarding all the information we got. I expect this to remain confidential. Is that clear SAM?”

“ _Yes. I will not share the information unless I am giving permission._ ” Cerise nodded in satisfaction at the AI’s answer as Colin ended the call. Anxo looked over at Cerise.

“So…” He grinned as she sent him a warning glare, one he pointedly ignored. “Kandros _and_ Evfra? Are you sure personal drama won’t rear its ugly head?” Cerise snorted at the insinuation. She crossed her arms over her chest and set her feet up on the console.

“Kandros is Initiative. Whatever was between us died when I was exiled.” Cerise reminded him as they landed the shuttle in a blind spot from the hideout. It would require some climbing but that was nothing new. “We can discuss it after the mission. The Initiative wants him alive. I want him dead.” Anxo chuckled as they geared up in the shuttle.

“But they’re going to get him alive?” Anxo inquired as Cerise’s lip curled in a frustrated snarl as she nodded. She’d damn well given her word in order for the Initiative to back the hell off this mission.

“In exchange for them not to interfere with this.”

“Small price to pay.” Jusca snorted and crossed her arms. Trixa and Anxo wondered about that. Cerise would agree to it, she may have told Kandros she didn’t make any promises, but she’d keep the asshole alive. Once her word was given, it was never broken unless there were mitigating circumstances. It all circled back to loyalty.

“It’s whatever. Let’s get out there.” Cerise waited until the shuttle door opened, hopping to the ground and eying the silhouette of the building against the setting sun of Kadara. Something was off, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. It drove her up the wall with irritation that she couldn’t place it. Cerise heard a familiar greeting and she puffed out a breath as Reyes approached.

“Vidal.” “Ryder.” The tense greetings had everyone on edge. The Charlatan and Eve in the same spot was a recipe for disaster. Trixa kept her pistol handy and Jusca was ready for a Throw if something went awry. Cerise eyed his outstretched hand and slapped her against it. She saw the slight wince as she squeezed, he hadn’t been prepared for it. Vidal was never one to shy away from a challenge and he met hers. A snake and a cat squaring off, both just as deadly as the other. They stepped back as the other shuttles landed and Reyes lifted an eyebrow at seeing Colin and Alec. Cerise didn’t dare look at him as he glanced over at her with a questioning eye.

“There is minimal staffing on the outside. We can expect heavy resistance on the inside.” Reyes told her as she nodded. He decided to not comment on the fact that Alec Ryder was standing there, clearly not dead. He’d get his people on it to find out what happened.

“I’ve set up snipers in the three and seven o’clock positions. And I assume you’ve placed yours?” Reyes nodded at her question and nodded his head towards their locations.

“Ryder. Our men are in position. Telassari is waiting for the word to unleash hell on those doors.” Anxo looked up from his omni-tool as Cerise sent him a wide grin.

“What do you have in mind Ryder?” Reyes looked at her as she addressed Anxo.

“Oh, we’ll give him hell. Make sure the men know to leave him alive Anxo.” Her second in command nodded and began issuing the order. Reyes heard the reasoning and also sent the order. Neither wanted the Initiative interference in this matter. She gave Reyes a brief overview of her plan, it sounded reasonable. They covered their angles; the trap was set. The mouse had to walk in now.

“Now, are we ready?” Cerise glanced at him. Anxo lifted his head and Lux held up her omni-tool. Both were ready to issue the go ahead. The Charlatan and Eve shared a look before they nodded.

“Send the order.” Their voices spoke in unison as they headed towards the building. Gunfire erupted from the surrounding area as Serpent and Collective attacked, with the Resistance offering some air support. Reyes would hang back but Cerise charged towards the hideaway. She was a soldier at heart, and _this_ was what she knew.

Evfra made a sincere prayer that she’d come back. Alec felt his throat constrict as he watched his daughter charge into the gunfire. Colin winced as he and his team followed behind Cerise.


	28. Chapter 28

The sounds and smells of battle was familiar to Cerise. This, this, she knew. The bullets flying by her head, the weight of her _Valkyrie_ in her hands was all she needed. The stress melted away as she slammed the butt of her rifle into one of the Outcast guard’s faces. He dropped like a stone as she stepped over him, continuing on. The shouts from her left let her know Colin and his team were active. That was the only team she would be willing to work with out of the Initiative. They’d serve as the perfect distraction while she went after the head. Cerise activated her cloak with a simple click of her omni-tool. Her silhouette shimmered as she raced down the hallway. The shield enhancers Anxo had bitched about getting were coming in handy as a few concussive shots pinged off her. Expensive but worth it, she mulled as her fingers flexed into a fist while pressed against the side of the corridor. A group of the enemies raced past her, so focused on their target that they completely ignored any irregularities in their surroundings.

“Idiots,” Cerise murmured as she turned down another small hallway and down the stairs. She’d memorized the layout of this building. Spite and revenge were one hell of a motivator. A locked door stopped her progress and a quick scan of the lock told her it wasn’t a bioengineered lock. Her hacking skills weren’t the greatest and she puffed out a breath as she debated attempting it. Her earpiece went off.

“We found him!” Cerise arched an eyebrow at Colin’s announcement. Something in her gut told her he was behind the locked door. Acting on impulse, she simply shifted her cloak to last longer and stepped to the side. Eve would never deactivate her cloak until the perfect opportunity. She waited despite hearing the cheers over the comm channel. A familiar voice came over the comm line.

“They’re doing their part boss. We aren’t moving until you give the order.” Lister’s voice was reassuring. Cerise had a hunch that Reyes wouldn’t move his people until he saw her move. Amusing that they were so similar, yet wouldn’t hesitate to stab the other in the back. The lock switched to green and Cerise perked up.

“They bought it? How stupid was that? I don’t care about the Collective or the Serpents. Have your people deal with them as you see fit.” _That voice._ Her lip curled as he stepped out. She studied him from the safety of her cloak. He didn’t look as old as she thought he would. Cerise pegged him to be in his mid-thirties. Black hair swept back, curling just below his ears. He was handsome in a classical way. Reminded her of those men on the cover of cheesy romance novels. The clencher was the same coldness she knew was in her, was in Reyes. That self-preservation instinct that would push them to do whatever it took to survive. The hairs on the back of her arms rose in alarm as he turned to face her. Something in his eyes, awareness, a smugness in them, told her he knew. She dodged the blow and her blade was at his throat before he could react.

“Well, well. I expected your brother or your father. I never thought you would show.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the miscalculation. He barely seemed inconvenienced by the blade at his throat. “Well? Are you going to slit my throat or not?”

“You wish.” Ice dripped from her tone as she kept the blade pressed against his skin. Blood oozed from the pinprick of the blade, he swallowed as it flowed down to the collar of his lab coat. Staining the fabric scarlet.

“What’s the matter princess? Daddy not going to let you kill me?” He sucked in his breath as the blade pressed just under his skin, sliding in smooth. That blade was razor sharp. Her eyes locked onto his, and for the first time he felt fear. He had discredited her as too emotional about her father to do any damage. He saw his mistake. Next time he wouldn’t be so stupid. “How can we make a deal?”

“A deal? What are you? Insane?” Cerise barked out a laugh as he spoke. Who did this man think he was? Making a deal with her? She was a mercenary, but he obviously didn’t do his fucking homework.

“I’ll pay you double what the Initiative is to let me go.”

“Sorry sweet cheeks. I don’t jump ship when I make a deal.” She smirked at him. “Besides, the Initiative isn’t paying me. This is _personal_.” Cerise’s voice went low, deadly at that last word. It sent a cold shiver down his spine. This was the voice of someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

“Cutting off my head will just make another one appear.” A humorless laugh left her. He froze mid sentence as she laughed.

“You’re not Hydra dumbass. You’re Cerberus. Cerberus scum.” She’d heard rumors about them. His attempt at scaring her was laughable. She’d seen much scarier shit, done scarier shit.

“Then go ahead and kill me.” He snarled as he moved towards the blade. Surprise flitted across his face as she retracted the blade. “What?” The only thing he got out before her fist slammed into his face. He went down and she shook her hand.

“Jeez, asshole had a lead jaw.” She grumbled as she grabbed his leg. She might as well top off this anti-climatic cartoon showdown with an epic finale. “Hey Jusca. Come to my coordinates will you?” Cerise sent her the coordinates for the roof. His head made satisfying thuds as it hit the stairs while she headed up them.

“Hey boss. Well, looks like the Initiative did their celebrating a little early.” Jusca laughed as Cerise shook her head.

“Nah, I warned Colin they’d pull a trick like that. But this jackass wouldn’t show up unless he thought they’d bought into his body double scam.” Cerise dropped his leg and stepped to the side. Jusca leaned over to see the scientist.

“Damn, he’s ugly. Even for human standards.” Bright laughter burst from Cerise at the krogan’s comments. “What are we going to do with him?” A sinister grin spread on her lips as Cerise told her what they were going to do. “Oh this is going to be _fun_.” She grabbed the human up as Cerise sent off a message.

Light slowly came back to his vision as a constant throbbing woke him. The back of his head felt like it had been battered in a thunderstorm. He looked up and froze as the ground greeted him. Panic seized his chest as he looked around frantically. He spotted the krogan first, his leg was in their grip. The grin on the krogan’s face was enough to send his heart into a gallop. A flash of golden turned his eyes to Cerise. The woman stood on the roof with her arms crossed, smirking at him. It smacked that she got the upperhand on him.

“What do you want?”

“Information.” He glared at her. His lips remained sealed. He couldn’t say anything. The Benefactor had people in Andromeda, he’d find his throat slit before he said one word.

“I’m not telling you anything.” He curled up to snarl it at them. He’d rather die at their hands than say another single word. At least he’d die on his terms.

“Well now. That’s just too bad.” Cerise ran her tongue over her teeth before she tilted her head towards the ground. The sounds of the growls finally caught his attention. He dared another glance, this time focusing on his surroundings. Cold dread settled like a pit in his stomach at what he saw. Adhi circled the ground below. Their heads stared at him, tongues lolling out of their mouths as their tails flicked at the promise of food. He snapped his head back to Cerise.

“You wouldn’t.” A waver in his voice had her smirking. He didn’t quite buy his own words.

“Oh yes, I would. Haven’t used adhi in a while though. Last time was when some Collective asswipe tried to pass along sensitive information of my company to the Charlatan. The adhi picked his bones clean.” She squatted so she was more face level with him. He tugged at his wrists and realized she’d tied him up. “Those are inhibitor cuffs. No using that fancy little implant.” Her hand reached behind his head and curled her fingers around his node in a painful vise. He winced as she smirked at him. “Yeah. Did you think I was stupid?”

“Not stupid. But I clearly made some assumptions I should not have.” He glared at Cerise as he dangled helplessly.

“Clearly.” She let him go and straightened. “So, is your reluctance due to that mysterious figure my brother told me about? The Benefactor or something?” She saw the color drain from his face, her lips curled up in a Cheshire cat grin. “So it is. Interesting. Well, I could care less. I just have one question and one question only.” She grabbed his chin and yanked him close to her.

“Why did you pick my Dad?” Of all the questions she could have asked, he certainly didn’t expect that one. His face was far too expressive hanging upside down like he was.

“No questions about how I managed to stay undetected on the Nexus?”

“The entire place was hell from the moment we hit Andromeda. We lost hundreds of people in the Scourge disaster, including Jien Garson. Then the kett attacks on our colony attempts on Eos. Finally the revolt.” Cerise ticked off everything that had happened since landing. “So no, I’m not going to ask how you stayed undetected. I have a pretty good idea already.” She tightened her grip painfully on his chin. He winced as her fingers bit into his skin. “Now, answer my question you dick.”

“Convenience. I needed someone who was dead.”

“There were plenty from the revolt. Why wait a _year_ to find someone?” Cerise snarled as he winced again. While he hated divulging trade secrets, his self-preservation instinct was far stronger.

“My research materials weren’t ready. When Alec Ryder’s body was brought onto the Nexus after they landed. I knew it was my only chance.” Cerise dropped his chin with a disgusted scoff. She straightened and looked at the krogan. Convenience indeed.

“My arm’s getting really tired boss. Whatcha want me to do?” Cerise crossed her arms and jerked her head down in one motion. Panic seized his chest, everything passed by as if in slow motion.

“I answered your question!!!!” He screamed as the krogan let his ankle go. His body came to a sudden stop as blue light flickered over him. He stared up at the roof as Cerise leaned over the edge of the roof. She gave him a small salute before disappearing back over. That witch played him! Fury whipped inside him, helpless to break free because of the singularity he was trapped in. He was dropped onto the floor of his lab, staring at several sets of boots. Some human, some not. His eyes traveled up to see the faces of Colin and Alec Ryder glaring down at him. Somehow their twin glares didn’t inspire the same cold drop of fear that Cerise Ryder’s _grin_ did.

“We have some questions for you.” He snorted at the obvious statement.

“No shit sherlock.” He pushed himself into a sitting position and just grinned as the man yanked at his collar, fist shaking with rage but remaining above his head. “You’re hardly terrifying.” He stared into the same grey eyes but they were fundamentally different. Too bad he picked the wrong Ryder to manipulate. If only it had been Cerise Ryder that had died in that planet. They’d have made a glorious team when she was revived. Instead of an N7 that still clung to honor.

“I don’t resort to cheap tricks.”

“If you think your daughter was playing a cheap trick then you sadly don’t know her as well as you think.” He laughed at the man. He knew, deep in his soul, that she would have killed him in an instant. It was in her eyes. Cold, merciless eyes that had seen enough to know that honor was a rich man’s luxury in Andromeda.


	29. Chapter 29

“Well, that could have gone better. Did Reyes get all his adhi rounded back up?” Colin shook his head on the vid comm. Cerise grinned and shrugged. There may have been one or two missing from the final tally. Totally not her fault they wandered away from the area. “Is Evfra gone?” Colin worried in his own way about Cerise, even if she didn’t really want him to. She’d prefer to be the big, strong stoic sister. He knew the separation was killing her. Andromeda changed Cerise, he paused. No, Andromeda just brought out that hidden part of her he knew had been there. She’d always been a survivalist, Andromeda just cut the shackles of rules from her. He’d been worried for her when he’d found out she’d been kicked off the Nexus. When he saw her again, he had seen how content she was with her lot in life. Cerise had found the place she belonged. Colin wondered how much of it was her crew and how much of it was Evfra. He was happy his sister was happy.

“He left for Aya this morning. He’s waiting on you for the attack on that kett base?” Cerise shrugged but the ache remained in her chest. Anytime she was apart from him it lodged in her chest. The ping at her console had her smiling, it was an email from him. It still amazed her she’d found someone that, as corny as it sounded, completed her. She paused. Not completed but complimented her. He wasn’t the missing piece to her soul. She was complete on her own. Evfra the one who stood by her side, the one who looked at all her scars, both mental and physical, and still accepted her. It hadn’t been something she’d ever thought she’d find. Just thinking about the depth of her feelings for him was enough to have her heart skip a beat in slight panic. Commitment was something she was still warming up to. Lister had once teased her for being a commitment-phobe. He’d been right. Commitment terrified her. Giving up that control shook her to her soul. Evfra was different, and thinking about it with Evfra was scary, but it didn’t inspire a panic anymore. She was slowly warming to the idea of taking the next step in a relationship. Maybe.

“I never thought I’d see that smile from you. You look dopey.” The smile abruptly vanished, replaced swiftly with an annoyed glare. “That’s more like the grump I’m related to.” She snorted and called him a name. “Hey! Resulting to schoolyard insults? I’m offended.” Cerise grumbled something about being an idiot before focusing on the reason for his call.

“When do you plan on attacking this place?” Cerise waved a hand to dismiss his protest. Colin let her know they were heading there now. They didn’t want to take on a full-frontal assault and would be engaging the stealth drive. Cerise snorted at the idea, but knew stealth had its merits. Especially in a place filled to the brim with kett. Colin assured her he would send her a progress report. Cerise grinned as he grumbled about being in school again with all the reports. “Trust me, it’s not any better on this side.” She hitched her hip on the side of the desk as they spoke.

“Cerise! Where are the budget papers you were supposed to fill out yesterday?” She winced as Anxo’s voice came through the door. She’d forgotten. _Shit_. Colin started laughing at the chastened look on his twin’s face. It was rare to see her brought to task, not since Ellen was alive. The memory popped into his head and he had to tell her before there wasn’t a chance anymore. He just wasn’t sure how this would go over. His sister wasn’t known for taking bad news well. He thanked his lucky stars he was on the Tempest and wouldn’t be in the radius of the explosion that was sure to follow.

“I see.” He chuckled and sobered up. She lifted an eyebrow at his face. She teased him about looking like their Dad with that look. “Cerise. I have to let you know about something.” She turned her eyes up to him from the paper, he assumed the budget paperwork. “Dad.” He shook his head at her glare. “No, not like that. See, SAM and I have been unlocking some of Dad’s memories he left in SAM’s memory banks. And one was, well…” He decided to get it all out in one rush. “Mom isn’t dead. Dad put her in one of the pods under an assumed name in hopes we could find a cure to her disease out here.” The silence stretched between them, broken only by raucous laughter that floated up from the lounge room in her headquarters. Colin braced himself for the explosion as Cerise stared at him. He could see the gears turning in her mind, that only made the explosion worse later. He wished she’d go ahead and get it over with, the waiting was killing him.

“He did _WHAT_!?” There it was. “Dad did what!? What the fuck was he thinking?” Cerise went off on a rant about how stupid their father was. Colin just sat back and let her get it out of her system. She’d just let it stew and then explode later if he didn’t, and he’d felt some of the same anger she did. He’d been able to get it all out with SAM, Cerise wouldn’t have the same support. So here he was, listening to her rant about Alec’s stupid decisions. There was no guarantee that the cure for their Mom’s disease was in Andromeda, Ellen had made her peace with the world, it had been her wish to die surrounded by family. Alec Ryder disrespected that for a wish to keep his wife alive. Andromeda was too full of unknowns, Cerise couldn’t understand why he’d take the chance.

“What would you do if it was Evfra?” Colin’s words stalled her rant. Her eyes burned at the thought of losing Evfra, of him dying. It was something she thought about regularly. Given the state of the small cluster they were in, it wasn’t farfetched to imagine something happening to either one of them. She’d brushed against death too many times for her not to think about it. Cerise knew what her answer would be. She knew what she’d want if she was in Ellen’s shoes, and the thought of someone ignoring what her final wishes would be sparked anger inside her. She steeled her spine as she stopped pacing to look at Colin. His image flickered from static, but his eyes were filled with kindness.

“I wouldn’t do what Dad did. I’d do anything I could to make Evfra see that being suspended in cryogenic sleep would be best. I wouldn’t do it without his consent. Not like Dad did with Mom, he didn’t get her permission. He took away her body autonomy and I don’t like that.” A memory of Grux flashed through her mind, the cut of his whip was still razor sharp. The memory of that blade in her back made her scar ache. They’d taken away her autonomy while she’d been captured. Cerise could never do that to anyone else. Cerise’s gaze didn’t waver from her twin’s. “We can talk more about it when you get back.” Colin nodded. They likely wouldn’t come to an agreement on this matter. Their experiences were far too different, they had been shaped by them, and both had Alec Ryder’s famous stubbornness. Colin hoped they could at least see where the other was coming from. SAM’s voice came over the line to inform them they had arrived at their destination. Cerise inclined her head and bid farewell to her brother. She settled in to read the email from Evfra with a smile on her face. A splinter of unease slid into her mind. Things were too peaceful. Past experience told her something always went wrong. Murphy’s Law at work. And Murphy had a fucking vendetta against her being happy, _fucker._

Colin had been frustrated when he’d told her about the disappearance of Meridian. They’d done so much but were missing the key part. They had a plan to find it and the scientists were all at work. Then he spoke about the Jardaan. He’d taken Jaal with him when they’d found the remains of the experiments. It had surprised Cerise to learn the angara had been made. Scientifically engineered by an ancient race, or maybe not so ancient. Her first thought was Evfra and how he’d take this. He’d never been very religious, but this would shake even the most cynical of souls. She’d sent off an email to Evfra to let him know she wanted to talk whenever he had a moment free. He’d replied that he needed some time to process the news of the Jardaan. It stung to be dismissed but she understood. She was a solitary creature when she was hurting as well. It was in her nature to lick her wounds in private, stemming from not wanting her enemies to see her vulnerable. Her arms ached to hug him and help soothe, which was completely out of character for her. Cerise shook her head and focused on replying to his message. She only let him know she was there whenever he was ready. She kept herself busy to distract herself from the worry.

Day to day work never changed. The Serpents had an influx of new jobs since word got out they’d successfully worked with the Initiative. Past grudges never went away, and Cerise was always careful about selecting jobs. She didn’t trust any offer that had Initiative in it. Nights were lonely since Evfra closed himself off after the news of the Jardaan. Cerise gave him space but it began to worry her. Distracting herself was becoming a chore lately. Her nights were filled with nightmares of what ifs instead of the past. She almost missed the nightmares of Grux and that asari bitch. Too many times she saw Evfra being taken by the kett as they invaded Aya. And she was helpless to do anything on Kadara. She woke in a cold sweat, too terrified to go back to sleep. The accusatory look in Evfra’s eyes as he was dragged away in her nightmares was too much, as if he was blaming her for not being on Aya. Irrational but dreams rarely were. She would sit on the roof of the building to watch the sunrise on nights she couldn’t sleep. She’d read reports and sip some of Jusca’s god awful krogan version of coffee. Cerise wasn’t confident about what exactly was in the concoction, but it kept her awake and distracted. That was where SAM’s voice found her.

“ _Cerise Ryder. Your brother needs you_.” Panic lit into her at those cryptic words. SAM would never message her without good damn reason. Something was wrong. _No, the Archon!_ The thought flashed through her mind. It had to be him, there was no reason SAM would call her. Not with the entire Initiative at his back.

“SAM? What’s wrong? What happened with Colin?” Sweat beaded on her forehead as her heart raced in her chest. Something was wrong, SAM wouldn’t contact her any other way. What took seconds for SAM to answer felt like an eternity to her. He explained what happened with the Archon and panic was blasted away by rage and grief. She couldn’t lose Colin! Not her brother! That goddamn basketball hoop headed bastard was messing with the wrong fucking family. She wasn’t the Pathfinder but _no one_ messed with her twin. The same rage that filled when they were children, all those protective instincts, swelled to the surface.

“ _There is a code to remote activate my connection to your brother. He needs that to survive. Unfortunately, this will alert your presence to the kett._ ” That gave her pause. Her hand hesitated on the blinking code on her omni-tool.

“And the Archon…” Cerise’s lips thinned. A sliver of fear slid into her belly. Despite her rage she knew this would leave her susceptible to attack. SAM informed her the Archon was closing in on his node, she had to make her choice and make it soon. She looked at the flashing code on her omni-tool with a sinking heart. To save her brother meant condemning herself to a death sentence. Not just her, but her people. “Would it be focused on me? Could I draw him away from my headquarters?”

“ _I do not think that is possible_.” Pain twisted like a knife in her chest. Anxo, Lister, Jusca, Trixa all flashed through her mind. She couldn’t condemn them to death beside her, no matter how many times they said they’d be at her side. But, it was _Colin_. Her brother. She just couldn’t let him die! He was the best hope the Initiative had for establishing themselves in Andromeda. As much as she hated the damn organization, they’d be fucked without it. She ran a hand through her hair as SAM began a countdown. The code flashing on her omni-tool beat to her heart’s rhythm. The choice was clear, at least to her. She’d survived so much in Andromeda. Being exiled, Kadara port, Koshak’s torture, that damned shuttle crash. She’d been chewed up and spit out by the damned galaxy, and she kept getting back up. That wasn’t going to change.


	30. Chapter 30

Evfra glanced down at the reports in front of him with a sinking heart. It had been a week since he’d asked for space to process the information about the Jardaan. The news shook him to his soul. They were _created_ by another species in hopes of colonizing the cluster. There would be others like the angara, Evfra had reason to doubt that Heleus would have been the only place the Jardaan would have colonized. What would they look like? Had the kett reached them as well? Jaal and the Moshae were taking the news in better ways than he was. Perhaps he could reach out to Cerise, she could help him talk over his feelings. The thought of Cerise Ryder talking about feelings brought a sardonic smile to his face. The woman was the living embodiment of avoidance, but he knew if he needed her then she would stay. Cerise was loyal and willing to overcome her own fears for him. He hadn’t had that since his family. A flash of pink out of the corner of his eyes told him Joevett was in the meeting room.

Since Cerise helped her overcome that innate hatred of aliens, and break her away from the Roekaar, his mother had done an admirable job of helping them formulate strategies against her former allies. She’d seen the length that the Ryder twins were willing to go to help people. Despite one’s reluctance to admit to any heroics. Cerise would bite her tongue off before admitting to helping people. He lifted the small console on the table, intent on sending her a message. The blinking projection above them that housed the Resistance strongholds flickered. The Initiative’s radio broadcast crackled in time with the flickers. Soldiers glanced up as something shifted in the air, an ominous charged energy that sizzled along their bodies. It felt _wrong_.  
 _The hour of your surrender is now._ Evfra jerked towards the radio broadcast. The words were broken up with static but they were clear enough. That was the Archon. Dread settled like lead in his chest as the screen changed. The sight of the Archon there was frightening, soldiers stepped back away from the table.

“Make sure our location is not being tracked!” Evfra snapped, sending a flurry of soldiers to their consoles. They assured him it was a broad-spectrum announcement and was set in real time.

“Evfra, it’s from the Initiative’s human ark.”

“There are still people on there!” Another soldier cried out as they saw the background come into view. Two soldiers came dragging something in, and his heart sank. _No_. A flash of golden hair seized his chest. _No_. The soldier kicked at the back of their knees, bringing them to the floor. Their face was obscured by the curtain of their hair, but he knew. He didn’t need to see her face. _Cerise_. The Archon had Cerise!

 _I have the implant. Your precious Pathfinder is lying dead. Surrender and accept exaltation._ Evfra stared at the screen as he felt his world crumbling from beneath his feet. The Archon fisted his hand in the back of her hair and pulled her head up. Joevett screamed as they saw the bruised face. Her right eye was swollen shut, blood oozing from a cut just above it. Her cheek was swollen, and blood still seeped from the gash that went from her cheek to her ear. The wince on her face cut deeply into his heart.

He thought to the last time he had contacted her, that email that had snapped at her attempts to reach out and comfort him. All the words left unspoken between them. His last email had asked for space. Now it seemed he’d get all the space he requested and then some. The world faded to grey in his vision, his eyes secured to the sight of her in the Archon’s grip. The yells and cries softened to pesky buzzing as his thoughts circled in his own head.

 _Submit._ They saw her lips move. An Initiative soldier in the meeting room let out a snort at what she’d said. Evfra turned to him and snapped at him to explain himself. The man straightened and saluted on instinct at Evfra’s sharp tone.

“I’m sorry. She told him fuck you.” The Resistance soldiers burst into laughter, uncontrolled and fueled fear. Evfra felt a tiny bit of hope rise inside of him. She retained what made her, _her_. They watched the Archon bend his head to her face.

_You will be the first._

“Last guy who told me that was as much a lying, sniveling sack of shit as you are.” Cerise clenched her jaw as his fist plowed into her other cheek. Evfra let out an alarmed cry as the sharp crack resonated in the room. She turned her good eye to the Archon, even from their spot the Resistance could see the hatred. The spark to fight was still there.

“Who taught you to throw a punch? You need to get your money back.” Cerise ‘s lip curled as the thin trail of blood dripped from her chin. He’d busted her lip on that last slap. The human soldier burst into helpless giggles, despite slapping a hand over his mouth.

 _Nothing will save you_. The Archon released her hair and turned away from her. Evfra shook his head, he knew what Cerise planned. She lashed out lightning fast. The Archon stumbled as her foot connected with the back of his leg. Cerise refused to utter a word as the soldier to her left plowed his fist into her stomach.

 _I do not need you intact to use your implant_. Cerise met his eyes, her jaw tightened as determination stiffened her spine.

“Fuck you.” The video cut to black after her words. Evfra stared at the wall, his throat burning as he struggled to reign in his emotions. The woman he loved, one who he never expected to ever care for, was being tortured. And he could do nothing. His fist clenched as the others scrambled to find out the course the ark was taking. Joevett came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her electromagnetic field reached out to his, gently probing, as his sparked and lashed out. She stayed at his side, despite the harshness of his feelings. She’d take getting zapped if it meant helping her son.

“She is gone. I cannot reach her.”

“Who are you and where is Evfra?” He rolled his eyes. “I am serious. I know you are in shock my son. You need to find her. The Archon has made his move, he has never done that. Not in all the years here.” Her words soothed the panic and helpless rage. He wanted to rush after them and charge the Archon to get her back. Logically, he knew the plan was preposterous. They’d both wind up dead.

“Evfra? There is a call from the Tempest.” He barreled his way through the soldiers to the comms.

“Ryder.” Colin’s face appeared in front of him. He detected the dark circles under the man’s eyes and the exhaustion that darkened them to almost black. His concern for the Pathfinder was diminished by his worry for Cerise. He wanted to rail at Colin, the Pathfinder was supposed to protect Cerise! The Archon hadn’t known where she was, how did he find her? Instead, he bit his lip to hear the man out.

“Evfra. I know where he’s taking Cerise. We’re getting everyone together and ending this.” Impressed by the resolve in Colin’s voice, Evfra merely nodded. “We’ll get her back. I promise.”

“That is one promise I won’t hesitate to destroy you for breaking Pathfinder.” Colin nodded. Evfra received the coordinates and the call ended after he promised to have his soldiers mobilized for air and ground combat. The order went out, and everyone went scrambling. He paused and then called an old number. One had hadn’t used since Cerise had given him her private one.

“Can this wait?” The sharp tone was unusual for the salarian.

“The Pathfinder sent me the coordinates to the Archon’s destination. How fast can your people be ready?” Evfra heard the swift intake of breath on the other end. Anxo didn’t hesitate.

“Now. We’re ready now. Every soldier in our company is armed and ready. Send us the coordinates and we will meet you there.”

“Good.” Evfra sent him the coordinates before they ended the call. Evfra reached for his own armor and weapon. He hadn’t worn them in so long, but it felt good to be wearing it again. Not for the reasons he had to put it on, but he made a small mental note to get out more than he did. He stepped outside and paused as Joevett stood waiting for him, armed and ready.

“You should stay here Mother.” Evfra began before she shushed him.

“I am a soldier. I can handle a battlefield just fine Evfra. And she is my daughter.” Evfra paused and began to explain that things weren’t like that. “Shush dear boy. She is my daughter in my heart, even if you haven’t gotten up the courage to doing the asking yet.” She poked his chest and climbed into the shuttle to await their departure.

A flash of Cerise in their traditional wedding garb zipped through his mind. He quickly stomped it out. He needed to rescue her first. Evfra climbed into the shuttle, shutting the door with a quick snap behind him. They lifted off and he kept to himself on the ride to Meridian.


	31. Chapter 31

Pain sizzled along every nerve ending. Stars had begun dancing behind her eyelids in unison with the beat of her heart. Breathing was so difficult, it felt as if the air was trying to suffocate her. The Archon had moved them to Meridian. His hand had fisted in her hair, dragging her along behind him as he headed to the core. She was forced to walk on what was, she was pretty sure, a fractured leg. The sharp stabbing pain shot up her body every time she took a step forward on it. Blood oozed down her face from the lesions as he pulled chunks of her hair out. Cerise could’ve saved herself some trouble but in true Ryder fashion, she’d spat in his face.

“You humans never cease to amaze me.” The Archon stood in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back. She opened one eye to stare at him as SAM ran interfacing with the monolith. “By all accounts you are a weakling. I can crush your head with my hand. Yet,” he turned to face her. “You continually rebel. Exaltation would free you of this pain you feel.” Cerise’s lip curled at his words.

“Fuck you.” The words were like ground glass. Forced out of a broken body. Cerise wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of talking with her.

“What is taking that _AI_ of your so long?”

“ _My apologies. These are different algorithms than previous monoliths. Perhaps if Ryder was not in so much pain I could draw on her strength._ ” SAM’s clipped voice washed over Cerise and the grin pulled up one side of her face. The unbroken one. The Archon rumbled about such primitive methods and turned back to the screen. Dipshit didn’t even know when he was being played. _Cerise, fear not. I am speaking in a private channel due to our forced connection. Your brother has landed along with a sizeable force._

She grinned despite the pain. Breathing was slow and choppy, her lungs burned with every inhalation. _Your left lung is in danger of collapsing. I am keeping it stable for the moment, however, my connection to you is not the same as to your brother. Without medical help, you will die._ Figures. She’d survived all that bullshit in Andromeda only to go out because of the Archon. She heard her father’s voice in her head. _You’re just going to quit?_ Both eyes snapped open and glared at the Archon. The Pathfinder’s shuttle and Nomad appeared on the screen. Anger rolled off the Archon in waves as he saw them. Cerise watched as everyone appeared on the screen. The Resistance shuttles, _her_ guys, the Collective, and the Initiative all flying together. A less cynical person would find it inspiring. Cerise wouldn’t give up. Her will lit again and blazed in her eyes as she watched the Archon turn to her. SAM spoke in her mind, which was still fucking weird.

 _We can work together to bring the Pathfinder here. I’m afraid my delays will not work much longer, but I need your help._ Cerise gave him a slight nod. She’d help in whatever way she could. The Archon was speaking again, it was annoying. Like a swarm of buzzing locusts, it sent a nasty tingle along her arms. A thousand ants crawling n her skin, revolting and nauseating. She wanted a way to shut him up. _Your brother is inside._ Cerise knew her part.

It hurt like hell. Worse than the shuttle crash, worse than Koshak. This was pain inside her body, her entire nervous system went into overload as she concentrated on moving the signals. SAM gave her the all clear and she collapsed onto the raised dais. Tiny aftershocks rocked her system, a side effect of interfacing directly with the monolith. SAM told her that Alec had done something similar, but he’d been a bit more stoic about it.

“Figures. Dad never was one for over the top displays.” Cerise coughed and felt the blood in her mouth. That metallic tang sent a chill through her body and mind. She was dying. Her system was fried, overcharged from the monolith’s interfacing. She could feel her body breaking down around her. She leaned forward, hoping to ease the pressure on her abdomen, and stared at the floor. Crimson drops stood out against the smooth surface and she realized that was her blood. She shook her head slowly, as if to clear it. Cerise didn’t know if she could make it until her brother arrived.

“I have unlimited power.” The Archon smirked as he connected to the machines. Cerise blinked back tears, she’d failed. Her body had given up and now he would win. Worry for her men, Evfra, and Colin sang through her body. She wouldn’t let anything happen to them. She clenched her teeth and focused her mind one last time to open the gates. SAM spoke quietly to her about not pushing her limits. _No! By the gods if I get them through alive then I will do what it takes! No matter the cost!_ She heard the door open and her body slumped even more forward. It was up to Colin to get there now.

***************************************************************

“Bring her back Ryder.” Evfra’s voice was smooth over the commline. To the outsider he was merely concerned about another human, but Colin knew better. He’d seen the way Evfra looked at Cerise when he believed no one was watching. Cerise was softer around Evfra, though she’d beat the snot out of him for saying it. They were good for each other, and Colin knew this was eating at Evfra. He heard the faint tremor in the Resistance leader’s voice, one he knew was in his own heart. The one that went through his body at seeing the video of Cerise in the Archon’s clutches. His sister was the strong one, the one who could get out of any situation. Colin had asked Alec how he’d been saved. His father had explained he’d installed a remote connection code for SAM in the unlikely event the connection was lost in the field. With eyes full of grief and shadows he’d said that Cerise had likely activated the code and exposed herself to the Archon.

“Shoot that sonofabitch for us Pathfinder! And bring the boss back.” The cheery voice was on he recognized. One of Cerise’s men, Lister he thought, was fighting on the front lines along with the Collective men. Her other inner circle was with him fighting through the monolith.

“We’ve got your back Initiative.” Jusca called out as Cora and Liam ran past them.

“Good to know.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Trixa muttered as she popped out from behind cover and blasted a few soldiers out of the way. “Bring her back Pathfinder.”

“We don’t even know if she’s still alive…” One soldier muttered as he continued to shoot the targets. Several pairs of eyes drilled into his back.

“They won’t miss one will they?” The red dot of a sniper trained on the back of his head. Trixa rested her hand on the muzzle and shook her head.

“We’re here to _help_.” The krogan snorted as she focused back on clearing a path for Colin and his team. He nodded to them as he rushed past the pair. Alec Ryder stayed at his side, they barreled through the enemies together. Colin unleashed a _Nova_ on the kett gathered at the end of the corridor. He slammed his fist into the wall at the dead end.

“A door.” Jaal pointed to the open door. Colin had a bad feeling about it. It felt too reminiscent of being herded for him to be comfortable. Alec stayed steadily at his six, which gave Colin a small sense of comfort. Worry was eating him alive. His sister, his best friend and confidante was captured by the Archon. Heleus’ greatest enemy had his sisters in his clutches. Resolve stiffened his spine. Not for long.

The final door opened, and he saw the Archon hooked up to the dais. The wires hung off his back in a web as intricate as a spider’s. His heart dropped at the sight. Jaal’s alarmed gasp brought his attention to his sister. Her body was leaning forward, completely motionless. A single thought passed through his mind, but he completely dismissed it. She wasn’t dead! Cerise was too strong to be dead! He let out an anguished cry as he bolted into the room, Jaal and Alec hot on his heels.

“ _Cerise_!!!” She lifted her head at the sound of her name. Her lips formed his name, but no sound came out. Her vision swam as she saw her brother and his team barge through the door. She struggled to tell him, to warn him but nothing came out. Her body was failing her. The silhouette of her twin, father, and Jaal blurred together in her eyes. The Archon lashed out and attacked Colin with the sentient machines in the room. His pained cry reached her, bringing her back. It grounded her in the now. Her jaw tightened, and she glared up at the Archon.

 _We can raise the platforms. It will hurt._ SAM’s voice in her mind solidified her resolve. Her mother once said that any situation could be overcome with determination. _And that, my dear girl, you have in abundance._ Cerise didn’t care that Ellen had been speaking to her child self, she was going to show the Archon just why humans were the ones to watch out for.

Cerise couldn’t keep the cries inside anymore as she raised the first set of platforms. The Archon turned to her with a scoff. “Fighting back is meaningless.” He waved a hand and another Architect rose from the depths. “Cease your petty struggles.”

“Oh, I’ll show you petty you sonofabitch! Watch this!” Cerise roared as the Architect turned on itself. The Archon howled in anger as Colin got to the last platform and console.

“You!” The Archon snarled as he whirled on Cerise. She collapsed back against the back of her own raised platform.

“Suck it assface.” Colin cut his connection to Meridian’s central hub at Cerise’s words. The Archon crashed into the floor, and with it the plans he had for Heleus. Cerise felt nothing at his passing, not even relief. It was as if she was numb inside. “That’s not good.” She coughed again, the blood dribbling from her lips.

“ _Pathfinder, Cerise Ryder requires immediate medical attention. She is dying_.” Cerise stared at her fingers as SAM spoke. The crimson staining her fingertips gave her a focus. She looked up slowly, an eternity, as Colin appeared in front of her. Alec stood next to him, concern written on both their faces.

“I’m sorry,” she managed before the dark consumed her. Her body fell forward, stopped by Colin’s trembling hands. He was in no shape to carry his sister, he’d barely had enough strength himself to face the Archon. Even with his connection to SAM restored he was too weak. Helpless tears burned at the edges of her eyes as he saw the blooded and battered face in front of him. Hands brushed him aside and Alec gently lifted his daughter off the dais.

“We need to go.” Colin rubbed at his face and nodded. They went as fast as they dared with her injuries. Alec tightened his hold on Cerise as guilt swamped him. Because of SAM’s implant his daughter was kidnapped and tortured. His _daughter_. There would be time to go back and analyze the situation further, to try and make amends for the past. If she’d give him the chance. He’d almost lost Colin on Habitat 7, and it had cost him his life to save him. He’d gladly do the same if it meant saving Cerise.

The roar of the crowd greeted them as they ran out of the entrance. A group of people swarmed them with fear and shouts of denial. Suddenly Alec felt Cerise being lifted from his arms. He yelled out at the person until he saw it was Harry. He and Lexi sped Cerise into the Hyperion for emergency treatment. Colin stared at Evfra who shared a bleak look with him. The Serpents stood silently by as they watched Cerise disappear into the Hyperion. There would be no celebration for them until they received word of her condition.


	32. Chapter 32

A steady beeping brought Cerise out of her sleep. She blinked wearily and turned her head to stare at the walls. Two familiar faces popped into view. “I always knew I was going to hell.” Jusca and Lister burst into laughter at her crack. Cerise raised her arm to stare at the IV and needles in it. “Where?”

“You’re in the Hyperion’s med bay. You gave us all a scare boss.” Lister sat back in his chair while Jusca ran to get the others.

“How long?”

“You’ve been out for about a week now. Surprised you woke up so soon.” Lister ran a hand through his hair as Cerise let her hand drop back to the bed. Her body felt like she’d had a fight with a thresher maw on foot. She struggled to sit up but the stinging in her side had her deciding against it.

“Your ribs are probably gonna be sore. You were hurt pretty bad boss. We’d all appreciate it if you could stop almost dying. We’ll be requesting some hazard pay to deal with the emotional fallout next time.” Cerise chuckled and ignored the sharp biting pain in her throat. It felt good to laugh again.

“Sorry. Make no promises.” Cerise grinned as he heaved a sigh and let his head drop. Lister’s face looked over at her and she sobered up. His eyes were glittering with something that made Cerise nervous, butterflies danced in her belly. Lister never had a vulnerable side, it just wasn’t who he was.

“I know boss. And just so you know, we’ll always be at your back.” He looked up as Jusca, Trixa, and Anxo entered the room. “We do have to know, why did you send us away?”

“We could have helped you fight the Archon!” Jusca protested but Cerise shook her head.

“Couldn’t risk. He’d kill you all. To get to me.” She paused after to catch her breath. Her throat was raw, but she was scared to drink anything. It would just feel like acid being poured down her throat. “They needed you.”

“Cerise. Don’t do it again please. We can’t handle watching you go through all that when we were helpless to stop it.” Cerise nodded and slid up the bed. The top of the bed rose with the push of a button and she glanced at each of them.

“I promise. Not again.” They breathed a collective sigh of relief and Lister broke the charged tension in the air.

“They’re still celebrating the victory. Man does the Initiative know how to throw a party. Too bad it’s nothing but boring diplomats patting themselves on the back like they did something.” Lister snorted as Cerise gave him a smile. Alec and Colin Ryder stood by the doorway to the medbay, looking far more nervous than they had ever appeared. “Guess we’ll let you get caught up with your brother. Come find us when they let you get unshackled from that bed.”

“We aren’t leaving until you come with us Cerise. We have to stick together.” Anxo squeezed her hand with a gentle smile. Cerise returned the smile and a thousand words flowed between them with a simple look. They were brother and sister in arms, the bond between them forged in war and surviving instead of blood.

“Deal.” The Serpents all shuffled out of the medbay with a quick glare to Alec and Colin before disappearing up the stairs. Colin moved to the bed first.

“I’m so sorry Cerise!” Cerise narrowed her eyes at Colin, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her body protested as she shifted to sit up, but she simply clenched her jaw and forced her body to move. Colin bolted to the bed, fussing over her.

“Why are you sorry?” Her voice still cracked but it was getting better the more she used it. Cerise stared at her brother as he looked away.

“It’s my fault the Archon got to you. I rushed back into things without thinking and then he severed my connection to SAM.” Cerise held up a hand to stop the steady stream of apologies. He sniffed and nodded as she arched an eyebrow at him.

“I had a choice.” Alec straightened as she spoke, moving the water closer to her without speaking. Cerise looked over at him, uncertainty swimming in her eyes, before focusing on Colin. “SAM told me that you would die if the connection wasn’t reestablished.” Cerise took a sip from the water, talking tired her out. It was humiliating. “But I didn’t _have_ to do it. He told me the consequences.” Her eyes met Colin’s with a tentative smile.

“I think I made the right choice.” Colin gave a short laugh as he battled back tears of relief. “This galaxy has tried to kill all of us Ryders. It hasn’t yet, and it won’t. My life my terms.” Cerise heard her father cough to cover up his laughter as Colin gave in to the borderline hysterical laughter.

“We’re like cockroaches.” Colin wiped at the tears with his thumb. He looked over at Alec and straightened. “Please listen.” He gently patted her shoulder before leaving father and daughter alone in the room. Cerise didn’t meet Alec’s eyes, her hands fisted in the sheet. She waited for the lecture, he always had one for her. His hand reached for her hair and she flinched, remembering the Archon’s hand pulling at the strands.

“I’m sorry.” Cerise’s head snapped up to Alec. Did she hear right? “You went through all of this alone because I was too stubborn to admit you had changed.” Alec sat in the chair Lister had recently vacated. Cerise contemplated the differences in the men, but realized there were parallels. Between the two of them as well. Cerise blew out a breath as she tried to find the words. True, she wouldn’t have been exiled from the Nexus if her father had chosen her for the team. She wouldn’t have been tortured, beaten, or gotten into that fight on Havarl with the vegetation. Cerise’s lips thinned at the unwanted memory. All of that wouldn’t have happened but… She wouldn’t have met Evfra, she wouldn’t have met her friends, nor would her group be established. Cerise had never been one to put stock in Fate when she was being kind, but it all worked out in the end. Except for one thing.

“Dad… I’m not good at forgiveness. It’s just too ingrained in me not to trust anyone.” She dropped her eyes as she took a deep, ragged breath. “I don’t hold a grudge against you. I may bitch and moan about it, and it still hurts that you turned your back on me.” Cerise held up her hand when he wanted to interrupt. “Please.” Alec nodded once as she continued. “But, I can’t say things turned out that badly for me.”

“You were an exile! On a planet full of pirates and thieves.” Alec blew up but Cerise hooked onto one word.

“What do you mean _were_?” Cerise glared at him with mutiny blazing in her eyes. If Tann did what she thought, oh she had a few words for him.

“Your brother and I spoke with Tann and Addison. They agreed to revoke your exile status.” Cerise’s mouth dropped open.

“And my men?” Alec shook his head. Cerise’s jaw snapped back shut as she felt anger burning. Colin poked his head in and saw the imminent eruption. He stepped aside to reveal the Nexus leadership. Kesh and Kandros flanked Tann and Addison.

“What about my men Tann?”

“I’m unable to revoke their exile status. They participated in the revolt. You, however, did not actively participate in it.” His eyes narrowed at the short tone she used. Addison wrung her hands as Cerise dug her fingers into the bed railing. She shifted until her legs hit the floor and several sensors began shrieking in alarm as she ripped them off her arm and chest.

“Ryder!” Kandros yelled out, but she simply turned her head towards Tann and Addison. Everyone but Kandros and Alec flinched at the venomous look she sent them.

“Kiss my ass.” Cerise stood, keeping a hand on the bedrail to steady herself. Harry rushed in with Lexi behind him, both immediately fussing. “Stop poking me. I’ve walked away from worse.” Cerise knew she’d regret every bit of this moving around but she was pissed off. Her anger had always gotten her some interesting results. The doctors stepped back, but both recognized the stubborn expression. They’d seen it before on a certain twin brother and father. They left after ensuring she’d call if she needed anything from them.

“I’m offering you leniency Ryder.” Tann narrowed his eyes as he kept his voice a few degrees above freezing.

“Shove your leniency up your ass,” Cerise snarled. Alec drew back as if she slapped him.

“Cerise Marigold Ryder.” Cerise’s lip curled as Colin snorted. Cerise hated her middle name and had threatened to gut him if he ever spilled it. She glared at her father as Kesh mouthed, ‘what’s a marigold?’ to Kandros who merely shrugged. “The Director is giving you back your status as an Initiative member.”

“And do what? Answer to him again?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. “I’m my own boss as an exile. I make my own rules. Live my own way.”

“Like you’ve always wanted.” Defeat weighed his words as he realized his daughter was a very different woman than back in the Milky Way.

“So, you wish to _remain_ an exile?” Addison couldn’t wrap her mind around it. “You’d have access to clean water, clean clothes, _food_.”

“And you think I can’t get that on Kadara? The locals were happy to show us how the water filtration worked before Colin here fixed the vault. In exchange for protection.” Cerise shrugged a shoulder as her exhaustion was catching up to her.

“I see. Then we will leave your status as is Ryder.” Tann cleared his throat as Alec sent him a meaningful look. “I will, however, make an exception. You may come and go on the Nexus to visit your brother.” Cerise looked over at Colin who shrugged.

“Fine.” The word ground out between clenched teeth. Cerise knew when to concede to an enemy’s move. Didn’t mean she ever had to take him up on the offer, and the fact it had to grind his gears to even offer this alternative was enough to have her thinking about visiting. If only to chap Tann’s hide. Spite sometimes fueled her actions, alright seventy-five percent of her actions.

“We’ll let you rest.” Addison managed to get Tann maneuvered out of the room. Cerise collapsed onto the side of the bed and sighed. Addison saw the way her shoulders drooped, as if the world rested there. She knew she’d do the same thing over again, the safety of the people came first, but she wondered if they’d gone about it the wrong way. She followed Tann out of the room, mulling over the past. Perhaps they could do better next time.

“Get some rest Cerise. Harry may discharge you later if you behave.” Colin grinned as Cerise softly smacked him on the shoulder. He saw the way her hand trembled. He helped her into the bed, though it galled her to ask. He pushed Alec out of the room, he had some things to discuss with Alec anyway. Number one being Ellen.

Cerise leaned back onto the bed, her eyelids drooping as the anger left her empty. Like an inferno it burned everything in its wake, leaving ash behind. Except this was her body and she gave in to the dark. Cerise felt that static zing along her arms in her sleep. Her hand reached out seeking its source, and her fingers curled around warm fabric. She struggled to open her eyes and blinked at the ceiling.

“Cerise.” She looked over to see him straighten from the chair. Green, tinged with blue, shimmered under the lights. She looked at what was in her hand, and then back up at Evfra. “You looked cold in your sleep. I did not want to wake you to get the sheet.” She smiled as she realized what he’d covered her with. His _rofjinn_. The importance that was placed upon them wasn’t overlooked.

“Thank you.” Cerise sighed as he pulled the chair next to the bed. She’d missed him. It ate at her heart that he’d asked for space. She reached up for his face, fingers stroking over the scar. “Will you finally tell me how you got that scar?” He wrapped his hand around her wrist, reminding him of how fragile she truly was.

“I will. I was told you declined Tann’s offer.” Cerise snorted.

“I told him to kiss my ass.” Evfra chuckled as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m glad you’re here.” Her hand drifted to his cheek as she closed her eyes to savor the moment.

“I almost lost you. Again.” His voice was husky, thick with a million emotions that he didn’t want to name.

“I’m here. I’ll never go anywhere,” Cerise murmured as her thumb stroked his cheek in small circles. She breathed in and saw his eyes open and staring at her face. The bruises were still there, even if the cuts were healed.

“Cerise,” Evfra began before the door slid open to reveal Lexi. She paused, startled to see Evfra there, and hastily made her exit with a muttered excuse. Evfra groaned as he heard more voices in the hallway. Cerise tapped a few keys on her omni-tool.

“Are you still there SAM?”

“ _Yes, though we do not have the same connection as before_.”

“That’s fine. Can you delay them for a few minutes?”

“ _Affirmative. I should inform you that your compatriots are there as well._ ” Cerise stifled the giggle at Evfra’s frustrated look.

“Tell them I’m sleeping and need my rest.” “ _Affirmative_.” They heard SAM’s voice muffled through the door. He informed the group outside that Cerise needed her rest and that they should not disturb her. The voices left and Evfra stared at Cerise.

“I still do not trust that AI.” Cerise smiled warmly at him as he sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and with surprising strength, pulled him down to her level. Her lips pressed against his, a sigh settling on her lips. She’d missed him, not just physically either. His hand slipped around to cup the back of her neck, mindful of her injuries as he took the kiss deeper. Their lips parted on a groan before he rested his forehead against hers again.

“I love you Evfra.” His eyes snapped to hers. She’d only spoken the words once to him, just before the attack on the stronghold. This time, it meant more. The obstacles were gone between them, and they had both gotten a wake-up call. Stubbornness was something they both had in abundance. His hand tightened on her as he struggled to answer. He pressed a light, gentle kiss to her lips.

“And I love you Cerise _Marigold_ Ryder.”

“Who told you? It was Colin wasn’t it? That _asshole_.” She looked up at him as his words sunk in. “You love me?”

“I do. Your courage, your loyalty, and even your temper. Maybe not when it’s directed at me.” She laughed as he leaned over her, keeping his weight on his arm. “Cerise, I’m going to ask you again.” Uncertainty had her eyes searching his face before he saw the dawning realization.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll go to Aya with you.” She smiled and slid her arms around his shoulders. It felt right. She was complete now. Her family, Colin, and Evfra were all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it folks. 32 chapters and roughly 2 years. It's been a long run but I'm really happy I got to finish their story. I'll continue it in one shots most likely, so head on over to my Tumblr and give me a shout out there.
> 
> https://seigephoenix.tumblr.com


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